Year of Living Dangerously
by VanessaGalore
Summary: Now Complete! Future Fic. Veronica Mars' jr year at Hearst: there are 2 new murders to occupy her time. Ensemble. Mostly Veronica POV. Eventual LoVe, eventual MacDick. Minor character death. WARNING: Some reviews contain spoilers.
1. Previously on to Chapter 5

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Eventual Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated. I love to hear from everyone.

Eventually there is a VERY slight crossover to "Private Practice" (the Grey's Anatomy spinoff). If you missed the completely absurd pilot, check out 'Chris Lowell' on YouTube

**THIS VERSION HAS BEEN EDITED AS OF 12/12/07, INCORPORATING CHANGES AND EDITS (MOSTLY TYPOS-BUT ONE BIG CHANGE). HOPEFULLY, ALL TYPOS HAVE BEEN CORRECTED. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED ME: Kou Shun'u, Candlewaxdreams, kwatchingoverme, poniesforall, and especially VMLoVeR87 and Kazy.**

**I've just been notified that my scene change markers have all disappeared (AGAIN! THANK YOU, FANFICTION FOR SAVING US ALL FROM SPAMMERS-NOT!) I will fix them at some point. In the meantime-if this irks you, please read this story on my livejournal or my dreamwidth (see my profile).  
**

Any errors are my own, this story has not been 'officially' beta-ed. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you).**  
**

**Welcome to October 2008**  
Virtual Season 5: Veronica Mars: The Year of Living Dangerously, on the new TFX network (Teen FX, where you are allowed to use the "F" word, the "S" word, and have a little nudity, as long as it's 10:00 p.m. EST; and, since this is my fantasy season, there are as many episodes/chapters as I want).

**Previously on Veronica Mars:** In my imaginary world, season 4 is about 10 episodes on the CW (Clueless Wonders) network as a midseason replacement. Episodes are shot around Kristin Bell's schedule on "Heroes". The season features Veronica together with Piz for a short while; Logan has left Hearst College. Veronica and Piz halfheartedly try to have mind-blowing sex but settle for cuddling, then Piz transfers to UCLA to get away from Veronica's soul-suckingness. Veronica is actually single for a couple weeks and then begins to resume her formerly interesting personality by throwing herself into work at Mars Investigations. Veronica solves one little mystery each week; some new viewers drop in to try the show, attracted by the lack of a season-long mystery arc that might tax their wee little brains. But something's missing in season 4...by about the sixth episode, in an effort to prop up the ratings, there are cameos by Jason Dohring, who sometimes forgets to take out his vampire teeth.

**Timeline of LoVe (interrupted)  
**  
April-May 2007-End of freshman year spring semester  
- Veronica and Piz break it off.  
- Logan and Veronica try to be 'just friends' unsuccessfully.  
- Veronica gets back together with Piz, begins avoiding Logan.

Summer 2007  
- Veronica at FBI internship, has long-distance relationship with Piz.  
- Logan applies to UCLA film school and is accepted.

Sept. 2007-Sophomore Year, fall semester  
- Veronica and Piz try again, it's boring.  
- Logan takes acting and writing classes in UCLA.

Nov. 2007-Sophomore Year, fall semester  
- Pizonica is history, Piz applies to UCLA for communications, takes part-time job at fertility clinic.  
- Veronica is single and throws herself into classes and working at Mars Investigations.

Jan. 2008  
- Logan emails Keith, semi-maudlin due to the holidays; he asks Keith not to tell Veronica. They begin corresponding.  
Feb. 2008-May 2008 Sophomore Year, spring semester  
- Veronica begins to date again, it's not epic. She reapplies to the FBI internship and is accepted.  
- Logan is also dating, but is having a lot more sex than Veronica.

Summer 2008  
- Veronica at FBI internship again, she starts a torrid affair with older FBI trainee who is about to graduate. They become embroiled in an investigation which almost gets them both kicked out of the program. Her new BF is amused by Veronica's misbehaving ways.  
- Logan has a prolonged affair with a very much married, and significantly older, trophy wife. After a nasty encounter with said wife's husband, he breaks it off and, as Keith advises him, he decides to see a psychiatrist for help with his self-destructive tendencies.

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VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Jailhouse Rock**  
Veronica is accused of murder; an old friend  
comes back to town to bail her out. Veronica:  
Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring. Leo: Max  
Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Cliff:  
Daran Norris.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE: "JAILHOUSE ROCK"

VERONICA

Through the jail cell bars, I watch him approach. I haven't seen Logan Echolls in a year and a half, but he hasn't changed. He stops in front of me, and plays with his hair, that old gesture still a familiar part of his repertoire. I see by his expression that he too is remembering the harsh words that finally drove us apart for good at the end of freshman year.

"Hello, Veronica."

I search for a witty comeback, but my exhaustion and fear overwhelm me, and I settle for, "Just like old times."

"Well, I hear this is a little more serious than aiding and abetting a fugitive, Mars. I'm here to bail you out," he says.

Leo comes around the corner and says, "You're a lucky girl, Veronica Mars, not everyone has an ex-boyfriend with $2 million to spare."

I wince, and picture yesterday's hearing.

_FLASHBACK: The evidence was presented and Cliff protested the admissibility, the chain of evidence, the relevance, basically threw in the kitchen sink, but to no avail. My dad was as pale as I've ever seen him. What was worse was the doubt I saw in his eyes; he too thought the evidence was incontrovertible. I had to admit, I was worried; they had blood, hair and fiber evidence tying me to the scene of the crime. I kept fading in and out, losing track of what was being said._

_The judge banged his gavel and said, "Veronica Mars, you are hereby ordered bound over for trial in the murder of Clarence Wiedman. Bail is set at two million dollars."_

_Cliff looked over at me and my dad, and said, unconvincingly, "It's just the prelim. I'm sure we'll be able to prevail at trial. You know that we had to hear what evidence they have, free discovery and all. Keith, you worry about raising the bail money. We have lots of time before trial to investigate and we all know Veronica couldn't have done this."_

_Dad said, "It might as well be two billion dollars. Honey, I don't know what to say."_

_Deputy Sacks came over and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Mars, I have to take her now. Veronica, put your hands behind your back." As he cuffed me and led me away, he said, "You know the drill, Mr. Mars. She'll be transferred to Valley State Women's Penitentiary in a few days. She'll be okay, you just worry about bail, I'll make sure she's taken care of in the meantime."_

_Keith grips Sacks' arm in an unspoken thank you. "I love you, honey," he said to me, his voice breaking._

_"Dad? Daddy, please tell me..." I cried out._

That it was a mistake. That they don't really believe I killed Clarence Wiedman, who killed my mother two weeks before.

I look at Logan. I've had twenty-four hours to ponder my situation sitting in this cell, and, despite my fatigue, I'm beginning to think more clearly. "Logan, I can't let you do this."

Logan sighs, "What good is money if you can't bail out murdering ex-girlfriends? No, seriously, Veronica, do you think I could leave you in here when it's within my power to get you out?"

Leo clears his throat. "Okay, Veronica, can we save the reunion for later? Mr. Echolls has already signed the paperwork and we need to get you fitted with the ankle monitor for house arrest." He unlocks the cell door, and gestures, 'after you'.

I flush deep red. I have forgotten; the prosecutor insisted that house arrest be a condition of my bail, due to my contacts in the FBI, my previous experience with fake ID's, and my connection to the disappearance of Duncan Kane, who was still wanted for questioning in the kidnapping of Faith Manning (aka Lilly) and the murder of Aaron Echolls.

Logan says, "Your dad's here too. He's signing paperwork that he'll be responsible for you."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Reefer Madness  
**Veronica's lack of alibi. Veronica: Kristen  
Bell. Mike Fields: Michael Trucco. Keith:  
Enrico Colantoni.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWO: "REEFER MADNESS"

Keith sits on a bench at the sheriff's office, his head in his hands.

_It's a nightmare. My baby girl, accused of murder. I know, I know, you're thinking, "Veronica Mars, she's not exactly an upright citizen." She's been known to plant evidence, to taser a suspect, to hack into computers, etc., etc., etc. A father worries, you know?_

_But this, this..._

_They found my baby's blood and hair, and fibers from her favorite Hearst sweatshirt. Admittedly, a miniscule amount of blood. Cliff tried to make something out of the amount of blood found. And the hair and fibers, well, any private detective worth their salt could come up with a scenario that would explain them._

_What killed me, what made me die inside, was Veronica's refusal to tell me where she had been during the time of the murder. "Honey, it doesn't matter!" I screamed at her. "You have to tell me what you were doing!"_

_She turned white as a ghost and walked into her bedroom, closing the door quietly. I wouldn't have worried as much if she had slammed the door. I heard her sobbing as I paced around the living room. Could she have killed Wiedman? I don't even know, and I've never doubted my daughter like this before. She was upset enough about her mother's murder to do almost anything, and when the witness came forward i.d.'ing Wiedman, she freaked. Two days later, Wiedman was shot; hell...he was executed._

_I know that her alibi has something to do with Mike Fields. Damn, why can't she find an EASY boyfriend? Really, I never saw what was so bad about Piz._

VERONICA

"Dad, can I just be alone for a minute? I want to call Mike." I say, knowing that Dad wants to fuss over me. The ankle monitor is incredibly annoying. I feel like I've left one prison for another with my dad and Logan hovering.

As we drove to my house, Logan said matter-of-factly, "I've engaged the best criminal defense attorney I could find. My dad's agent said that this guy has gotten off more Hollywood stars than Angelina Jolie." I couldn't help rolling my eyes.

Logan continued, "And I'm not going to argue with you about it. You can owe me, or whatever. You are going to accept help, from me."

Dad chimed in, "And of course Cliff and I are going to work the case too. With any luck, this won't even go to trial. Even Leo said he would help." Logan dropped Dad and me off and left without a backward glance.

I have friends. I don't deserve them.

Finally alone, for the first time since I was arrested, I go to my bedroom, pull out my cell and speed-dial 3.

After one and a half rings I hear an anxious voice,"Veronica, what's happening? How are you calling me? Did you get released?"

"Mike, try to calm down. An old friend put up the bail money and I'm at home. Actually, I'm under house arrest," I say as calmly as possible.

I can picture Mike pulling his fingers through his dark, wavy hair, the way he does when he's stressed.

_FLASHBACK TO THE SUMMER: The FBI internship is much harder the second time around: I'm expected to master various self-defense techniques and to qualify on the weapons range. I don't have any trouble with the course work, from the courses on "Investigative Procedure" and "Internet Crime" to the legal work on racketeering statutes, bias crimes and various other federal offenses, but I'm out of my element in hand-to-hand combat. I haven't managed to pass even the first level of coursework due to my petite size and lack of experience. I know I'll pass the weapons range eventually, but I've been wishing I'd taken Logan up on his pleas to play first person shooter videogames more often._

_This time my partner in "Defensive Tactics" is a tall, dark-haired man, older than me. He's at least 12 inches taller than me! He said, "Hi, I'm Mike, I'll be throwing you to the mat today." I replied, "You got that right. This will be an easy day for you."_

_Mike laughed and said, "Did you miss the part about using your opponent's force and strength against them? I think you'll be the one in control today."_

_"Since you're the force and strength?" I snarked back._

_He just smiled smugly._

_But what was amazing was that I actually began to get it that day, with Mike's help. The instructor came over and said, "Good, Veronica, you actually might survive more than a day in the field. Mike, don't go easy on her."_

_Mike said, "Are you kidding? She's been scaring me to death."_

_Just for that, I had to pin him to the mat later in the class, and to my bed that evening. I have to admit, we had a lot of fun practicing for the Handcuffs Exam. Mike was just brushing up his skills in the Defensive Tactics class and it was only by chance we met. He was close to finish his seventeen-week agent training program and if everything went as planned, he expected to get his first real posting in the fall. He was 26, smart, strong, gorgeous, an NYU graduate and former NYC policeman, and my dad hated him on sight._

_When I asked my dad about it, he just said, "I don't know why, but I don't trust him, and it's not a Logan thing." I have to admit that I sometimes wonder about Mike too. He's just a little too perfect.  
_  
-

"Veronica? Veronica! Are you still there?" Mike's voice comes faintly through the cell. I realize I've dropped the phone, spacing out again. "Veronica, I think we should tell the police about your alibi. It doesn't matter."

"It DOES matter," I say, a little too harshly. "You're not going to give up your career for me."

"You don't know that will happen. Besides, it's not that big a deal, maybe it won't matter, you know that..."

"Shh!" Veronica almost squeaks. "You know they're investigating me, don't say another word. Can I see you? I'll go nuts on house arrest, please come."

"You know, Veronica, your dad...he doesn't like me much. I think it's a bad idea."

"He doesn't know you..." I start.

"Veronica, this is not the time to play Meet My Daddy. I need to think about this. The consequences are real, for both of us."

We hang up. The truth is, my alibi is nothing too sordid. When the news broke that my mother's body had been found, I was desolate. My dad wasn't making things any easier, he was full of self-recriminations that he should have tried harder to find her and to make her go to rehab again. The funeral was a nightmare for both of us. Two weeks later, an eyewitness turned up, who claimed to have seen Clarence Wiedman gunning my mother down, and then fleeing town in a Lincoln town car. My dad made me promise not to try to find Wiedman, and I wouldn't promise. We argued, as intensely as we ever have, and fought to a draw. I called Mike the next day, and sobbed out the whole story.

The press coverage was intense; reporters waited outside our door to snap lurid photos and to call out to us, "How are you taking the news? Give us a quote!" I told my dad I needed to get away for the weekend. Mike is posted in San Francisco. He flew down that weekend to be with me. He wanted to comfort me and make me forget, just for a little while. He knew all about Lianne, what I had given up for her, and knew that I shouldn't be alone.

I met up with Mike at a local motel. Mike had paid cash for the room and checked us in as Mr. and Mrs. Lebowski. The desk clerk never saw me, I went directly to the room and fell into Mike's arms. Later that day I made a phone call to one of Logan's old dealers...he brought over some pot, and Mike and I got completely wasted. Not a big deal, except...the FBI is very clear.

"The unlawful use of drugs by FBI employees is not tolerated...Under the FBI's current Employment Drug Policy, an applicant will be found unsuitable for employment if they have used marijuana/cannabis within the past three years, or have extensively used marijuana/cannabis or over a substantial period of time."(1)

So, not only would Mike lose his career, I would lose my chance at an FBI career as well. Of course, a felony conviction for murder would blow my chances as well, not to mention that whole twenty years to life business.

Why can't we just lie and say we were together without mentioning the drug use? Well, let's just say we never left the hotel room and the only witness who saw us together was the dealer. Room service? Nope, no room service at this seedy no-tell motel; Mike ordered food from a local deli, charged it to his credit card, and told them just to leave it outside the door...we didn't want to bother getting dressed and going out. I have to say, Mike has his talents.

We didn't come up for air for 48 hours. During which time, no one but Mike and a skeevy drug dealer saw me. During which time, Mr. Wiedman rudely managed to get himself shot. With the same kind of gun I just qualified on over the summer.

Now that the preliminary hearing is over, I'm very afraid. I'm afraid that this weak alibi, if it has to be used, will not suffice. I was so sure that, even with Sheriff Vinnie Van Lowe in charge, the hair and blood evidence would turn out to exonerate me without blowing it for Mike. If we had come clean right away, my charges might have been dismissed, but I had been confident that I didn't need Mike's alibi. I can't believe I might fry for smoking pot.  
1: FBI Employment Drug Policy .

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VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**The Prince of Tides  
**Logan finds out about Veronica's arrest.  
Echolls: Jason Dohring. Dick: Ryan Hansen.  
Carrie: Amber Heard. Dr. Friedman:  
Lorraine Bracco.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THREE: "THE PRINCE OF TIDES"

One week earlier.

_FLASHBACK: Logan is sitting on the deck of his Venice Beach house, watching the sunset and stroking a blonde woman's hair. He leans down and kisses her forehead. Maybe this one will last, he muses. Carrie's pretty and fun, and pretends she doesn't know who Aaron Echolls was. Although Logan is pretty sure Dick coached her on that. He sips at his beer._

_The door to the deck banged open, and Logan looks up, annoyed that his perfect evening is being interrupted._

_"Dude..." Dick starts. He's actually panting; something is really wrong._

_Carrie sits up and Logan says, "What the fuck, Dick? You don't knock anymore?"_

_Dick stammers, "It's Veronica, man. She's been arrested. They're saying she killed Clarence Wiedman."_

_Logan says, "Veronica did what?"_

_"Wiedman offed her mother and Veronica went gunning for him," Dick says. "It's all over CNN, I can't believe that there aren't any reporters here, they're calling it the Neptune Curse, and they're rerunning all the footage of Lilly and your dad, and the bus crash, and...shit, man. I don't know..." his voice trails off._

_Logan picks up the phone and call Keith, who fills him in. Lianne's murder didn't rate much attention in L.A. Logan has been enjoying the distance from Neptune and all of Neptune's crazy residents. He had transferred to the UCLA film school at the beginning of sophomore year for a new start, without Veronica; just one semester later, he bumped into Piz, and realized he probably came here for the same reason Logan did. Logan thought about making a club, "Ex-boyfriends of soul-sucking amateur detectives", but he realized the commute would be hard for Duncan._

_Logan still hangs out with Dick a lot on the weekends, but Dick knows better than to make Logan party with Hearst kids or '09ers. They usually ended up at Logan's place or down in TJ when they were in the mood for a major blowout. Dick goes to more than his share of frat parties at Hearst, but he never gives Logan shit about not coming with him. Of course, he knows that L.A. pussy is perfectly fine ("Primo, man!") and there's nothing wrong with the alcohol either. Dick and Logan: it's not exactly a complicated or even a healthy relationship, but it's the best one Logan has._

_Now, Dick looks at Logan expectantly. "What?" Logan says, rubbing his forehead._

_"Logan, don't you think we should, I mean you should, help her? I mean, I know she's like a succubus or something but..."_

_"Succubus?" Logan can't believe his ears._

_"Yeah, you know, like a perverted sex ghost that steals your soul by fucking you. I've been watching Buffy in reruns." Dick mutters. "Damn, that girl is HOT!"_

_"Am I supposed to run to her? You know she never pays any attention to her safety, just runs off doing whatever the fuck she wants. And nobody ever calls her on it. No fucking consequences. That's why I'm here, remember, because I couldn't take it anymore," Logan says, defeatedly. "Even her dad lets her get away with murder..."_

_Dick stares at him, and Logan realizes what he just said._

_Dick says, "Dude, I don't care. You'll regret it if you don't help her. I know you, you'll mope around for the next ten years and you won't be any fun at all."_

_Logan morosely thinks it's time to call an emergency meeting of Veronica's ex-boyfriends' club. Or at the very least discuss this with Dr. Friedman.  
_  
-

DR. LEAH FRIEDMAN  
Patient notes on Logan Echolls

7/30/08  
LE reticent about reason for therapy now. Talks about Lilly Kane, her murder in 2003. When I ask about family, says "I have a half-sister, she's not worth talking about. There's no one else."  
8/7/08  
LE misses appt, leaves message, "surf's up."  
8/14/08  
LE shows up 15 minutes late. He refuses to talk about his dad. I ask about his mother, he calls her a bitch who left.  
8/21/08  
LE tells me about his last affair. The woman was much older, 40 years old, and married. She's married to an actor, an action-adventure star. I ask LE if that reminds him of anyone. He tells me I'm sick and storms out.  
8/26/08  
LE shows up without an appt. He hasn't slept. He talks for an hour about his father beating him and his mother just letting it happen, then abandoning him. I ask him what happened to his father. LE just stares at me like I'm from Mars, then laughs manically.  
8/28/08  
LE talks about Veronica. Once he starts it's like a dam bursting. I can't make sense of it. I press him as to why he would try again and again with someone who always pushes him away and he shrugs and says, "We're epic." I ask him if Veronica reminds him of anyone else in his life, if anyone else ever pushed him away. He shoves the chair back violently and leaves.  
9/4/08  
LE quiet today. Says he's been thinking a lot. I ask about school, he says that he's signed up for a directing class at the film school this semester. Although he's done well in his acting classes, he laughs and says what he really wants is to control all the characters. I ask about control, he says that would REALLY be epic. I'm not sure of the reference.  
9/11/08  
LE talks about Veronica again. He admits he's angry at her for fingering his father as the murderer of his girlfriend. He's angry at his father for killing his girlfriend Lilly and trying to kill Veronica. He's angry at his best friend's brother for raping his girlfriend Veronica, trying to kill her, then jumping off a roof. Also claims he was falsely accused of a gang murder. Patient has deep sense of worthlessness. Could this patient be delusional? This can't be fact-based. Need to research.  
9/13-14/08  
Researched LE this weekend. Patient not delusional. This Veronica Mars sounds like she has a god-complex. Control issues up the wazoo.  
9/18/08  
Armed with my research, I try to get LE to open up about his mother and Veronica. "Everyone leaves me, ok?" he finally says and slumps in his chair. I ask LE if he would consider antidepressants. He snorts and says, "Not after what they did to Duncan." Who is Duncan? Possibly a brief homosexual fling? Possible latent homosexuality.  
9/25/08  
LE talks about Veronica. I ask if they ever considered couples counseling and he looks at me as if I'm nuts. He rambles for a while, then says, "It wasn't her fault, about running away. I'm responsible for her getting raped, and later I almost did it again by alibi-ing that freak Mercer." I tell LE I would like him to start coming twice a week and I ask again about antidepressants. Again he mentions Duncan, then he says Lilly's ghost told me "that stuff will kill you, Logan." Possible psychotic break, with delusional thinking. Would really like to put LE on anti-psychotic medication, to see if hallucinations decrease.  
10/2/08  
LE expresses deep shame over punching a rival at a party over the weekend. I ask about previous violent episodes, he mentions purposely being arrested to beat up Veronica's alleged rapist. I ask if he feels in control when he hits, and he sneers, "you mean like my DAD?" LE clams up and won't speak for the rest of the session.  
10/9/08  
LE talks about sex with Veronica. I find myself blushing, and just a little turned on.

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VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**The Breakfast Club  
**Veronica's friends plan how to help her.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Eli: Francis Capra.  
Logan: Jason Dohring.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FOUR: "THE BREAKFAST CLUB"

Mac and Wallace meet for lunch at the Hearst Food Court. Neither seems to be able to swallow more than a few bites.

"What does Keith think?" Mac says.

"I don't know, he won't really talk to me either. I am getting pretty sick of being BFF on Veronica's schedule," Wallace grouses. "I know Keith's worried. Yesterday, Keith just came in and shut the door to his office. I've been working there for a year and he never does that. But I think this lawyer that Logan hired-"

"What?" Mac almost screams. "Logan? Since when is Logan back in the picture?"

"Oh I thought you knew. Didn't you talk to Veronica yesterday?"

Mac sighs. "I'm not exactly BFF either. She just said she was released on bail and is on house arrest. Logan hired a lawyer?"

"Not just a lawyer. This guy got Michael Jackson off. Logan is sparing no expense," Wallace replies. "Cliff is so impressed he went and bought a new set of law books just to keep up. But wait, didn't Veronica tell you that Logan put up the bail money?"

Mac looks stunned. "Why would he...I guess he...oh I'll never understand those two."

"That's two of us."

"Well, I want to help. With Veronica on house arrest, she'll need us to do the legwork for her," Mac says firmly.

"Mac, the girl's gotta come clean. There's somethin' she's not tellin' us." Wallace tries another bite of lunch and ends up pushing it away. "She was probably there at the murder scene."

Weevil drops down onto a chair, joining them. "Nah, that's not it."

"Eli, do you know where Veronica was?" Mac says.

Weevil shakes his head no. "But I heard a rumor that she was being a bad girl that night...my cousin's girlfriend told me that Veronica and her man scored some weed that weekend."

Wallace asks, "Weed? That's what she's hiding? That's total bull, no one cares about weed."

Mac says, "Wait a second" and opens her laptop. Her fingers dance over the keyboard. "It's so simple really if you know what to look for. I just googled "employment FBI drug" and look what came up."

[fbi dot gov slash employment slash policies dot htm]

"Shit, that boyfriend of hers will lose his job. And Veronica is out of the FBI forever." Wallace says. They kept reading down the page.

"**Polygraph Examination**

Each applicant who successfully completes the initial application process to include testing and interviews will be required to successfully complete a polygraph examination in order to continue processing. You will be notified of the date, time, and location of the polygraph test. Polygraph results are not official until they are approved by FBI Headquarters officials in Washington, D.C."

"Veronica is totally screwed, she'd have to pass a polygraph exam, too," Mac says.

"Actually...I don't think she'd have any trouble passing that. Have you SEEN our girl lie? But still...you can't think she would go to jail to protect him," Wallace says.

Weevil says firmly, "I owe Veronica a lot. If she hadn't helped me with that crap with the fake college IDs, I never would have gotten the maintenance supervisor position. I'll alibi her."

Mac and Wallace both shake their heads. "Sorry, Weevil," Wallace says ruefully, "you're just not credible. But now that we know what she's hiding maybe we can actually find a way to get her an alibi. I want us to meet over at Veronica's tomorrow and see if we can make a plan."

They agree to meet up around 9 a.m. the next day.

Mac is waiting in the parking lot at the Sunset Cliffs for Wallace and Eli to arrive so they can talk to Veronica. She considers what she's learned. _Logan put up Veronica's bail money? My god, that's like...romantic...like...epic. Veronica hasn't even talked to him for a year and a half. Whenever his name comes up in conversation, she changes the subject.  
_  
_About six months ago, before this whole mess started, I caught Veronica reading a tabloid. "Logan Echolls-Bad Seed" Complete with topless, pixelated pictures of Logan with not one, but two, bimbos. When Veronica looked up, she blushed; then, recovering her usual cynical poise, she pointed at the ad for male enhancement on the opposite page, saying, 'Can you imagine how big a jackass you'd have to be to order this stuff?'_

_'Unh-huh,' I mumbled. 'Totally, like, a jackass.' I looked at her sympathetically._

An SUV pulls in. The light green BMW X5 parks in the furthest corner of the lot. Mac watches as Logan shuts off the engine. He doesn't get out.

Mac walks over, hesitatingly. "Logan?"

He's sitting behind the wheel with his eyes closed, listening to Kurt Cobain. He opens his eyes. "Mac?"

"Logan, thanks for what you did for Veronica."

Logan sighs, "I couldn't help it. Dick forced me. He said I would be unbearable to be around if I knew I could have helped and instead I let her rot in prison."

Mac thinks, _'Dick forced me', what the hell?_. "Well for whatever reason you did it, I'm really grateful and I'm sure Veronica is too."

Logan smirks, "I'm a real humanitarian, just like my daddy."

Mac stares at Logan, who stares back, then drops his eyes and sighs again, ruffling his hair. "Logan, Wallace and Eli are meeting me here in a few minutes. We have some ideas about Veronica's alibi and we're trying to convince her to let us help. Do you want in?"

"I'm actually here to meet Keith. I was terrified that Veronica would see me so I parked over here."

"Keith?" Mac asks.

"Well, I've been emailing back and forth to Keith for about nine months now. He encouraged me to find a shrink after my latest debauched adventures and I wanted to thank him. I can't say she's _helping_ me but it's definitely...interesting."

Mac thinks, _Shrink? LOGAN? _ She mumbles, "Gee, that's great, Logan."

Keith pulls up. Logan hops out and gets in the passenger side of Keith's car. Keith leans out the window, "Hi, Mac. I assume you're here to visit Veronica?" Mac nods. "Try to talk some sense into her, willya? I won't be back for awhile. I see your boys are here," he nods toward Wallace and Eli pulling into the lot, "I hope you have more success than I did." Keith pulls out into traffic with a small wave and a grimace on his face.

VERONICA

I peek through the peephole. Shit, it's an intervention. No point delaying the inevitable. I open the door. "Well, lookie the gang's all here." I flop on the couch. I still have my cute-as-a-bunny pj's on, since there's no point getting dressed if you're a psychopathic murderer.

Wallace, Mac and Weevil look nervously at each other and I take pity on them. "Thanks for coming by. I'm pretty lonely what with this doodad on my leg keeping me inside." I show off my pretty ankle bracelet. "I never fully appreciated what this must have been like for _Logan_." I glare at Mac.

Mac sucks in her breath. I saw her talking to Logan in the parking lot a minute ago and she knows I know.

Wallace says, "Veronica, we know about your alibi. We know about the weed."

I just look at him.

Weevil continues, "We know you bought some weed and we think you won't tell where you were that night because it will blow it for your FBI dude."

It's really amazing. I don't do drugs as a rule. In fact, I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the times I did any drugs at all, and one of those times was Madison's fault, and another was Mercer's. Three simple words to live by, "just say no", and I had to screw up on this particular night.

I start to cry. Mac is horrified. I don't think she's ever seen me cry. It's not heart-wrenching sobs, this is just water streaming down my face uncontrollably. "I couldn't believe the evidence was going to hold up. I didn't think I would need an alibi. Now no one will believe it. Mike and I holed up in a motel in the next town over. He checked us in, the desk clerk never saw me. I had been fighting with my dad, and I just needed someone to hold me and tell me it was going to be okay. At one point, it seemed like a good idea to get some grass. I think it was Mike's idea, but I don't remember, I was upset the whole weekend. I remembered Logan's dealer and we called him on Mike's cell. We didn't even use my phone, so I can't prove I called him. He came over, and we bought a little weed. He tried to sell us some ecstasy but we weren't interested. He was a little pissed to come over for so little, and called me a bitch. He definitely would remember me. But he would also remember the tall man I was with."

My friends are silent, thinking about the problem. Mac said, "Did you use the phone in the room at all? What about maid service?"

I shake my head. "No and no."

Wallace says, "Why can't Mike just say he was with you?"

Weevil says angrily, "Don't you get it? They won't believe him now, they'll think he's just saying it to get his girlfriend off."

"Unless they have a corroborating witness," I add. "And they won't. There's no point for Mike to lose his career too."

"That's ridiculous, Veronica," Mac says. "You can't compare losing a career to a life sentence for murder. And what about Logan?"

"What about Logan?" I spit back at her.

She stares at me shocked. "Veronica, he's paying a fortune for your attorney. Plus your bail. He's not even your boyfriend anymore, you can't use him like this. You have to tell the truth."

"Get out!" I yell. The tears are flowing harder than ever. "You probably think I did it. So does Logan. You can all go to hell." I push them out the door and sink down to the floor sobbing.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Hoop Dreams  
**Wallace gets a new case; Logan & Keith talk.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Selma Rose:  
Patty Hearst. Logan: Jason Dohring. Keith:  
Enrico Colantoni.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FIVE: "HOOP DREAMS"

_Damn, Veronica. You are going to jail if you don't let us help._ Wallace sits behind the desk at Mars Investigations thinking about the whole mess. He says aloud, "I wish _I_ was Veronica, maybe I'd have some idea how to come up with an alibi." Using the letter opener, he opens the mail. He notices one particular envelope and doesn't open it. "Shit, this is another one of those letters." He walks into Keith's office and drops the unopened envelope on his desk.

The exterior door opens. Wallace walks back into the outer office and says, "May I help you?" before he realizes it's Selma Hearst Rose. There's an awkward silence. "Dean Rose, my name is Wallace Fennel, did you want to make an appointment to speak with Keith Mars?"

Selma clears her throat. "I can speak with you. You're a student at Hearst, a basketball player, correct?"

Wallace nods. "I've been one of Mr. Mars' assistants for a little over a year."

Selma says, "I'm sorry for Mr. Mars'...'troubles' lately. I don't want to disturb him at this time, but a matter has come up the college that needs to be addressed, and I know I can rely on Mars Investigations to be discreet."

"We can certainly be discreet. Tell me about the problem and I'll go over it with Mr. Mars as soon as he comes in."

Selma stands and paces around the room. "Since I've assumed the post of dean, I have had reason to review many of Dean O'Dell's decisions. The fraternity situation was regrettable, but we do depend on alumni support. It's essential that we maintain our endowment at its current healthy state. If alumni giving is reduced, we risk cutting programs in other areas. The basketball program is an important source of alumni revenue. The new coach..."

Wallace frowns. The team had been disastrous last year. The new coach, Coach Robbins, had led the team to its worst record in twenty years (6-13).

Selma continues, "Coach Robbins doesn't seem to be who he said he was when he was first hired to be assistant coach. One of our more prominent alums has said that Robbins didn't attend the school he claims to have graduated from."

Wallace says, "Didn't O'Dell check his references?"

Selma sighs. "I believe he did. I rechecked them myself and they seem okay, both at his previous post and the one before that." She drops a folder onto Wallace's desk. Wallace opens it and looks at a list of references and a curriculum vitae. Selma continues, "The problem is that this alum personally went to Robbins and accused him of being a fraud as well as a complete failure as a coach. Robbins then told me that if I dismissed him, he would file suit for wrongful termination and sexual harassment."

Wallace repeats incredulously, "Sexual harassment?"

Selma blushes. "I made the unfortunate mistake of dating him for a short time before I became dean. I broke it off, and he didn't take it well. When Coach Barry died, we naturally assumed it was best to promote from within, but as you know..."

"It's been a disaster," Wallace finishes for her. "If he isn't who he claims to be, it won't be a problem to fire him."

"Even if I did...date him."

"Uh, right," Wallace says. "Date him." _Is that what the kids are calling it?_ "I'll get Mr. Mars up to speed right away and we'll report back to you as soon as possible. Hopefully, long before basketball season. In the meantime, I think a $2000 deposit would be appropriate."

Selma stands and shakes Wallace's hands. "Well, Mr. Fennel, I have every confidence in your and Mr. Mars' abilities. I'll have the accounting department messenger over a check and I'll be in touch."

At Java the Hut, Keith stirs his coffee and looks at Logan. "She's my only daughter, my only family, what you've done for us is...well I can't thank you enough."

"Mr. Mars, you don't know how much your emails have meant to me." Logan say quietly.

"It's Keith, okay? Logan, I never thought about...how alone you were, how much you depended on Veronica. I think you two never had a chance with all that pressure. I wish I did some things differently; I wish I had welcomed you a bit more the summer your dad was arrested."

"Yeah, I needed a family. Veronica's lucky to have you for a father."

Keith sighs. "There have been times when I really let down Veronica as well. I am really regretting teaching her the PI business. She needed something when her mom left but I think that was a wrong choice on my part."

"As if you could have stopped her, " Logan snorts.

Keith looks up, and starts to laugh as well. "Okay, you're right, Logan, Veronica is an army of one, no one could have stopped her." He pauses. "On another subject, how goes the therapy?" Keith says gently.

Logan shrugs. "There's a lot to tell. I'm pretty sure the shrink thought I was making most of it up. Then one session, she looked at me differently. I think she went back and looked up the news stories. But I don't think I'm really getting any better, you know? I just feel like crap when I leave there."

"It's not your therapist's job to make you feel instantaneously better. You've been trying to do that with alcohol for quite some time and that doesn't work either."

"Well, at least I've stopped sleeping with married women."

Keith grimaces. "That's something I suppose. Logan, you need a purpose in your life. It can't be Veronica. Even if you were together, she wouldn't be an appropriate purpose for your life."

"Why can't the therapist just say it like that? It's always, 'How do you feel about it, blah blah blah'. Who cares how I feel about it."

Keith puts his hand on Logan's arm. "In the first place, you should care about how you feel about it. In the second place, I care, and not just because you bailed out my daughter. I've never heard you talk like this before, Logan, I think you're making great strides."


	2. Chapter 6 to Chapter 10

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Eventual Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated.

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Identity  
**Veronica & Mac go undercover, Wallace gets  
help on his investigation.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Keith: Enrico  
Colantoni. Logan: Jason Dohring. Blond  
Stranger: Chris Carmack.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER SIX: "IDENTITY"

Keith walks into Mars Investigations. Wallace at first doesn't know how to tell him about the new case when he must have so much on his mind, but he decides Keith needs a new focus as much as he does.

"Keith, Selma Hearst Rose stopped by today with a new case for us." Wallace tells Keith all the details provided by Selma. "I ran all the standard background checks in the meantime. Everything seems to check out, but there's a glitch..."

Keith looks up at Wallace. Wallace continues, "About ten years ago, there's a gap of about a year in his credit report. And there's no explanation on his curriculum vitae. He supposedly went from an average credit card bill of $500 a month to zero for 10 months. No activity, none. No utility bills, nothing." Keith raises his eyebrows. "Um, Mr. Mars..."

"Wallace, you only call me Mr. Mars when you think I won't like something."

"Keith, I'd like to take this over to Veronica and see if she has any ideas. Maybe it would get her mind off, you know...She wasn't too happy with us when we left her this morning."

Keith looks at Wallace sharply. He remembers what he said to Logan in the coffee shop, _I am really regretting teaching her the PI business. _"Okay, Wallace, maybe you can fly solo on this one with Veronica spotting you. I think you're ready." Keith adds to himself, _Wallace needs a distraction too._ "Try the Big Brother scam when you check the references."

Wallace grins at him. "Alright! My first solo. Oh, Keith, another threatening letter came. It's on your desk." He waves, and leaves with Selma's folder.

Keith frowns. This makes five letters in the past three months, since Keith's latest book came out. When Keith lost the sheriff's election, financial worries and a need to do _something_ resulted in his writing a fictional thriller, not-quite-a-sequel to his first book on the Lilly Kane murder. While the book, _'Neptune Undercover'_, was entirely fictional, it featured characters that could have been '09ers, and Keith had apparently touched a nerve. The letters have grown progressively more spiteful and disturbed, with all of them vaguely threatening and creepily religious in theme. Keith has dropped off copies to Vinnie Van Lowe, but Vinnie dismissed him with a casual "These things happen, Keith. You can't take it seriously." But Keith is disturbed enough that he makes sure he is carrying his revolver at all times.

----------

Mac thinks to herself, _this is fricking brilliant._ She knocks on Veronica's door. Veronica flings open the door and stares at her.

"Uh, hi, Veronica, I had the most amazing and totally illegal idea." Mac waits for Veronica to respond. "Seriously, Veronica, we just want to help, we all care about you."

Finally, Veronica says, in a clipped and patently false British accent, "Bloody hell, the wankers just won't bugger off." Mac smiles and pushes past Veronica, opening up her laptop on the coffee table.

"Veronica, I've hacked into the sheriff's department computer. I took a look at their tracking program and I wrote some code that randomly simulates your ankle monitor moving around your house so..."

"So I can leave the house and no one will be the wiser."

"We can turn the program on and off, which would be safer, much harder for someone to discover."

"But I can't just walk around Neptune, my pictures have been on the front page every day for two weeks."

"Well, the second part of my surprise is in this bag." In a plastic shopping bag, Veronica discovers a black wig with red streaks and one of Mac's favorite Goth girl outfits. Veronica hugs Mac, "I love you for doing this. It's so _Alias. _I've been wanting to go back to the motel to see if there's any way I could prove I was there."

Mac helps her to put on the black wig and the outfit. Veronica looks like Goth Barbie. They are ready to head out when there's a knock at the door. Mac opens the door a crack, sees Wallace and invites him in.

"What the HELL are you doing?" he laughs.

"Mac figured out a way around the tracking device and we're going to look around at the motel where Mike and I were," Veronica says.

"This time you have totally lost it, Mars," Wallace giggles.

"Well, would you have recognized her?" Mac says, a little peevishly.

"Hell, no. You did a great job, Mac. Before you guys split, Veronica, can you look over this case for me and help me figure out what to do next. Your dad is letting me fly solo on this one," Wallace beams.

Wallace brings her up to speed on the case of the possibly not-who-you-thought-I-was coach.

"What did Dad say?" Veronica asked.

"He said to try the Big Brothers scam on the references. But I think there's more than just faked references here."

"You're thinking identity theft?"

"Yep."

Veronica makes a few suggestions for researching the coach and hugs Wallace. Mac and Veronica leave for the motel.

While out on the street, they see a man with a small child in a stroller. He looks vaguely familiar but Veronica can't place him. He has blond hair, worn long. His daughter has long blonde hair, done up in pigtails. He is kneeling down next to his daughter and doesn't seem to notice them. But as they walk away, he stands up and mutters to himself, "What the hell are you up to, Veronica?"

----------

In Mac's car, Veronica pulls out her cell phone. She dials a familiar phone number. She's surprised to hear a message that the phone number has been changed. _I didn't even know his phone number. God, I am a bitch._ Before she tries again, she makes sure to store the new number. "_Hello, you've reached Logan Echolls with today's inspirational message. 'Once a man has tasted freedom he will never be content to be a slave. That is why I believe that this frightfulness we see everywhere today is only temporary. Tomorrow will be better for as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life.' Walt Disney." _Veronica thinks, _Walt Disney?_ She leaves a message, "Logan, I'm so grateful for everything you've done for me. It was...nice to see you again the other day. I hope we'll get a chance to catch up before you leave town. Bye."

----------

Logan sees her familiar caller ID and let it go right to voicemail. He waits several minutes until the voicemail icon lights up, then he listens to the voicemail. _"If you'd like to delete this message, press 7. If you'd like to save this message, press 9."_ Logan presses 9. This was definitely worth saving; in fact, maybe he would post it to YouTube. Veronica Mars was grateful to legendary jackass Logan Echolls.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Ragtime  
**Veronica & Mac undercover; new forensics  
are discovered; Wallace investigates.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Eli: Francis Capra.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER SEVEN: "RAGTIME"

Veronica is lost in thought in Mac's car. 

Mac looks over, concerned. _Maybe we were too hard on her this morning. Of course we know she didn't do it. I mean, I think we know she didn't do it. And she is trying, she is protecting her current boyfriend and being nice to her ex for a change. The Veronica steamroller is slowing down a little._ When they are close to the motel, Mac speaks up. "What's our plan when we get there?"

"I want to talk to the desk clerk and the maids to see if possibly anyone saw me after all. Maybe there was someone in the parking lot when I got there. Maybe the maids peeked in the room and I didn't notice. And then I just want to look around. I was so upset that weekend I might have missed something."

Mac pulls into the parking lot. When Veronica and Mac enter the lobby area, the desk clerk raises one eyebrow as he looks them over, then shrugs, it being none of his business. "Hourly or daily?" he asks.

"Neither," Veronica says. "We were wondering if you saw this girl here two weeks ago." She holds up a picture of herself.

The clerk looks the photo and then looks back at Veronica. "Well, Miss Mars, I don't recall you staying with us. Have you signed up for our frequent visitor program? There is a 10 discount on the hourly rate."

Veronica, embarrassed, looks at Mac and back at the clerk. "I was here with a friend. It's important that I prove I was here that weekend."

"I'll bet." The clerk shows her the front page of the Neptune paper. _'Veronica Mars released on $2 million bond in murder of hired killer Wiedman' _"It must be nice to be wealthy. I don't remember you."

"Seriously," Mac pleads, "she was here that weekend but didn't leave the room. There's got to be a way to show that she was here." The clerk seems oblivious, and begins to work on paperwork on the desk.

"Wait," Veronica says slowly. She points to a video camera behind the clerk's head. "Are there other cameras in the motel?"

"Three others."

"Show me." The clerk doesn't seem too interested, and just keeps working. "You know, I bet _'Access Hollywood'_ might be interested in the story of the clerk who proved Veronica Mars' innocence. I know someone who knows someone." She tilts her head, smiling.

The clerk lets them in the back office and Veronica sees on the video monitor that the hallway leading down to the room where she stayed was just barely in the frame. "How long do you keep video from these cameras?'

The clerk says, "Two weeks. The recorder records one frame every six seconds and one DVD holds one night of video. Our insurance company requires us to hold on to the video for two weeks, then we rewrite over the DVD."

"You mean, tomorrow you'll rewrite the DVD from two Saturdays ago?"

The clerk nods.

Mac gasps, "You can't, it could be essential evidence."

Veronica quickly pulls out her cell phone and calls Cliff. "Cliffy, it's your favorite client. I have some news, but we have to hurry. Can you and your fellow high-priced legal talent get a judge to sign a warrant for video evidence from the Outer Limits Motel? I think with the testimony of my boyfriend Mike it will be enough to prove that I wasn't in Neptune when Wiedman was shot."

Cliff snorts. "The Outer Limits Motel? Even hookers don't own up to going there. Seriously, Veronica, that place reeks."

Veronica stamps her foot. "Cliff...they're going to rewrite over the video evidence tomorrow."

Cliff says, "I'll get on the phone immediately. As it turns out, your other legal talent seems to be well worth their fee. They've come up with an angle on the blood evidence that seems to indicate that it was planted. I was just going to call you with the good news."

"You're kidding. What angle?"

Cliff coughs politely. "It seems that the blood was menstrual blood. Dewey Cheatum and Howe found a forensic specialist who has perfected a technique of discerning endometrial cells in minute samples of blood, thus proving..."

Veronica breaks in quickly, "I get it. Let's just say the timing wasn't right for me to leave that bloodstain two weeks ago. How did the Neptune prosecutor's office miss that?"

"It's a brand new technique, and the prosecutors weren't exactly looking to prove you were framed. They were handed Veronica Mars on a platter, and there are still people in the prosecutor's office who resent your Dad going after Jake Kane. It doesn't matter, the blood evidence plus the video evidence you say you've got should put us over the top. By the way, are you at home? I just called your dad with the good news and I bet he's rushing to see you."

"Crap," Veronica moans. "We'll never make it."

"Maybe Keith should hold onto that tracking device," Cliff laughs. "Oh and Veronica? Have your boyfriend call me, we'll need him to come in and give testimony as well."

----------

Back at Mars Investigations, Wallace scowls at the computer. He had been on the phone for hours.

"Hello, this is Wallace Fennel, and I'm calling from Catholic Big Brothers. Dan Robbins has expressed an interest in becoming a Big Brother to a deserving inner city child and he has given us your number as a reference."

All the references check. One especially garrulous woman talked for twenty minutes, telling Wallace a story from ten years ago. The description she gave of the coach matched to a tee. But there was still no evidence of where the coach had been when his credit report was mysteriously blank. Wallace thinks a minute and pulls up a website that searched death notice databases. He enters the coach's name and limited the query to dates about one year before the gap. "Bingo!" Wallace says, then looks around to see if anyone heard him. He clicks on the link, but all that comes up is the error message, "404, page not found". He clicks back, but gets the same result. "Damn, I thought I was on to something."

The phone rings. "Mars Investigations," Wallace grumps into the phone.

"Whoa, somebody needs a nap," Veronica laughs.

"Wait, you're laughing, what happened? Did you find something?"

Veronica clues Wallace in on the good news. "But hey, Wallace, is my Dad there by any chance? If I can possibly get back home before he does, I can avoid some excruciating daddy-daughter conversations."

"He's not here, Veronica, but I'll call him and stall him somehow. You know, even if he catches you, I think he'll forgive you eventually. Can I ask you a question while I got you on the phone?" Wallace explains about the broken link in the death notices database. "I'm thinking he got a hold of a birth certificate and took over a dead dude's life. But the death certificate info should still be there."

"Wallace, I think I remember something about that from this summer at the FBI internship. Let me ask Mike, it wasn't really part of my coursework..."

"But you couldn't help checking it out anyway," Wallace finishes. "That's so not like you, V," he chuckles. "Get back to me when you can, and Veronica, I'm so glad you got the proof today. The streets were a little safer without you, but much more boring."

"This is me sticking my tongue out at you." They disconnect.

----------

Veronica tries to call Mike. It goes straight to voicemail. She hangs up and sends a text. "GOOD NEWS CALL RT AWAY IMPT V"

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Raging Bull  
**Mike helps Wallace; Logan confronts Mike.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mike: Michael Trucco.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER EIGHT: "RAGING BULL"

On Saturday morning, Veronica gets the best kind of wake up call. "Hi baby, whatcha wearing?"

"Ooh, lover! I've got the best news. I was trying to reach you all last night, but your phone kept going to voicemail." She excitedly tells Mike about the forensic evidence and her alibi. Then she drops her voice a little. "I've got the teensiest little pink nightie on."

"You're wearing a Hearst sweatshirt and sweatpants, aren't you?" Mike laughs. "We really have to practice having phone sex a little more often."

"Are you in Neptune?"

"I'll be there in a couple hours. I'm boarding the commuter plane as we speak. Do you want to go to the firing range again today? You seemed to really enjoy blowing those paper dirtbag targets away last time."

"Dirty Harriet, that's me. Before we go, can we stop by Mars Investigations and use your ill-gotten FBI knowledge to help my best bud Wallace on his first solo investigation? He's stumped, and I seem to remember there was some info on identity theft last summer."

"Yeah, in that seminar you weren't even supposed to be in."

Veronica coos, "Well, I still aced the Basic Investigative Techniques class."

They arrange to meet up with Wallace at 10:00. Veronica hangs up and pads into the kitchen. Keith is drinking coffee. He offers Veronica a donut. "Who's your..."

"Da-ad!" She kisses Keith on his bald spot, interrupting his favorite joke.

"So, Veronica, I was wondering...how did you manage to get the video from the motel while you were on house arrest."

"Um, actually, Mac took care of that for me." Veronica crosses her fingers behind her back, although _technically_ this statement is actually true. Just a little ambiguous.

"We're not finished discussing this yet. Just because I'm ecstatic about the evidence you got doesn't mean there won't be consequences. And I'm still wondering why you didn't just tell Vinnie you were at the motel during the murder."

"It's complicated, Dad."

"I'm not sure that it is, honey. You are just not as invincible as you think. In fact, it scares me, because you got away with something again, and each time that happens, you take more and more chances and you never tell me the whole story." Keith rubs his forehead. He doesn't think he's getting through and it worries him. "I don't think this guy Mike is good for you, Veronica."

"Dad, he's reliable, he's sweet to me...He's an FBI agent, how can you have a problem with that!!"

"I don't know. It just seems like you don't trust ME anymore. And it's not just because I'm an old fuddy-duddy."

"Chill out, daddy-o, don't be such a square," Veronica pouts.

"Awww...who's your daddy?" Keith can't help himself and laughs.

----------

Mike taps a few keys on the computer at Mars Investigations. Veronica and Wallace look on, impressed.

"Geez, Veronica, you're getting drool on the keyboard," Wallace complains.

Veronica rolls her eyes. "Is it my fault I have wet dreams about data-mining?"

Mike says, "Just as I suspected. Veronica, I need to make a call to my supervisor. In private."

Wallace and Veronica exchange a glance. "What's going on?"

Mike stands up and says "It's okay if I use your dad's office for a minute?" He walks into Keith's office and shuts the door.

Five minutes later, Mike returns to the outer office and sits down. "Veronica, Wallace, I think you can tell your client that they don't need to worry about Coach Robbins. He'll be resigning later today."

Wallace says in disbelief, "What you say?"

Veronica, eyes narrowing, says, "Oh, I get it." Wallace turns to her. She whispers, "Witness Protection, that's why the database information was incomplete."

Mike said, "You didn't hear that from me. But, it seems likely that when a protected informant is given a new career, he would be expected to keep a low profile, and perhaps head basketball coach, when you are not particularly qualified for that job, would not be considered 'low profile'. And threatening to sue for sexual harassment is probably unwise as well." He smiles. "But that's just a theory. I think Coach Robbins will be telling the dean that he has accepted a new coaching position back east where he can take care of his aging parents. Of course, a career change might be in his plans, too."

"Can you see why I love this guy?" Veronica almost moans.

Wallace says, "Because he has passwords to the coolest database in the world?"

"That, and he's very cute."

"And I have a very big gun, that I'm going to let you practice with today," Mike smirks, grabbing Veronica around the shoulders.

"Ewww, TMI, guys, TMI," Wallace makes a gagging sound.

"No such thing as too much information, Wallace. Toodles, sweetie." Veronica waggles her fingers at Wallace as Mike and Veronica, laughing, leave for the shooting range.

---------

Mike and Veronica get out of Veronica's Saturn at the Mars apartment. Arm in arm, they make their way up the stairs to the apartment. "Who knew practicing reloading drills with our eyes closed could be such fun? Of course I already knew you had extensive experience in the dark." Veronica purrs.

"Veronica, I don't think your dad is going to want to hear about his baby girl shooting guns. The taser is one thing, let's keep the handgun practice on the down low. How about we say we had a picnic today instead?"

They enter the Mars apartment. "Dad, we're here." Seeing takeout bags on the kitchen table, she exclaims, "Look, Mike, Dad went to Luigi's! Yeah baby, manicotti!"

"Hello, Veronica," Logan speaks up from the living room couch. "We've been waiting for you to celebrate. Cliff said there's no doubt the forensic expert will carry the day at Monday's hearing."

"Logan," she says, her voice dropping, almost toneless.

Logan stands up and meets them in the kitchen, his face like stone. "I presume this is the jackass who wouldn't give you an alibi?"

Keith enters from the hallway, drying his hands. _Uh, oh. This is going to be bad, _he thinks.

Veronica whirls around. In an overly bright voice, gesturing wildly, she says, "Why, yes. Jackass who wouldn't give me an alibi, meet the jackass who paid my bail and will never let me forget it."

"Jeez, Veronica, when you say it like that, I forget all about sweet sugarlips and fuzzy I wuv you's."

"I never said--" she starts furiously.

"That's right, you never did. Keith, thanks for hanging out today, I'll give you my answer by Tuesday at the latest." Logan walks out, his anger palpable and simmering. He closes the door gently behind him, shooting a last glance at Keith, who shrugs.

Keith says, "Honey, calm down, willya? This is supposed to be a celebration."

"Hanging out...Hanging out? Since when do you hang out with Logan Echolls?" her voice seems calm enough, but Keith knows that she too is furious.

"Veronica, baby, this is your celebration, try not to get mad." Keith tries a little misdirection. "Okay, who's for antipasto? Veronica, it's your favorite meal, with plenty for leftovers...ah, who'm I kidding, with Veronica Mars, there's never leftovers."

"Dad, I can't eat right now." Veronica goes to her room without looking at either man, both of whom are stunned at this heretofore unheard-of development. They hear the door lock.

Mike clears his throat. "Well, Mr. Mars, I think I maybe should leave too. I'm at the Neptune Grand. Veronica can reach me on my cell if she wants."

"You got it," Keith says in falsely upbeat tone. When Mike leaves, he sighs in relief and knocks on Veronica's door. "Honey?"

"Please leave me alone, Dad," comes the muffled reply.

"Okay, Veronica. Mike said to try him on his cell if you want. I'm going to take Backup out for a short walk and then I'll be sitting by the pool if you want to join me. It's a beautiful night out." Keith hooks on the dog's leash and walks a short distance to the beach. He lets Backup off the leash to run, then he pulls out his cell and makes a call.

_"This is Logan Echolls with today's inspirational message. "Lo! with a little rod I did but touch the honey of romance--And must I lose a soul's inheritance?" Oscar Wilde. Leave a message or don't."_

Keith stares at the phone and shakes his head in disbelief. He says, "Logan, I want you to call me in the morning. Don't do anything stupid. I really think you had a great idea and I want to work on it with you. Please call me."

He hangs up and shakes his head again. He whistles for Backup and they return to the apartment complex. Backup settles in at Keith's side as he puts his feet up on the lounge chair by the pool. He trails his hand over Backup's head and gently scratches. The front door to the Mars apartment opens and Veronica walks out to the pool.

"Daddy?" She crawls into his lap and hugs his neck.

"Hungry, baby?"

"No, just hold me, Dad."

"You got it."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**A Bridge Too Far  
**Veronica back on campus; Logan has a therapy  
breakthrough and takes a positive step.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Dr. Friedman: Lorraine Bracco.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER NINE: "A BRIDGE TOO FAR"

VERONICA

Bookbag, check. Clean laundry, check. Laptop, iPhone, check, check. I'm ready to resume junior year. First stop, the dorm room to drop off my laundry, see how Mac's doing. Next stop, the dean's office, to get an extension on my assignments for the last three weeks. You have to admit I have a really good excuse.

_FLASHBACK  
The gavel comes down with a sharp crack. "Veronica Mars, the charges against you are hereby dismissed. The states reserves the option of refiling the charges at a later date." Veronica hugs her dad, and over his shoulder, she sees Logan stand and leave the courthouse without a word. She turns and hugs Mike, who whispers, "Thank god, Veronica, thank god."_

I'm still furious that I let myself react to Logan the other night. I was so looking forward to an evening with Mike and my dad, I _needed_ a normal evening with them, and I was hoping they might start to like each other a little more. But...Dad and Logan are hanging out?? The next day I asked Dad again, and he said that Logan hired him to do some checking on a private matter, it was no big deal, and Logan would tell me about it when he was ready. He wouldn't say any more, telling me that Logan asked him to keep it private, even from me. Dad didn't tell me that I should cut Logan some slack, but I saw it in his eyes.

Mike was pretty noncommittal about the whole scene. He said, "The guy still digs you, and he did you a monumental favor. I can't be mad at him when he stepped up the way he did. And, Veronica, your mom just died and you were arrested. You have a lot to be upset about and Logan probably knows that, and he was probably worried too."

I'm ashamed to say that I was mad that Mike wasn't jealous of Logan.

When I get to the dorm, I find a cactus plant on my desk with a little sign that says, "Welcome back V" and a mix CD. From Mac, that's like 20 dozen red roses. I smile, and drop my bags. I open my duffel and add a new picture frame to my desk. Dad and I went through all the family scrapbooks again last night, and I found a photo of Mom and me, from happier days.

_FLASHBACK--The Mars family at the beach--Six-year-old Veronica throws a frisbee over her dad's head, forcing him to run into the surf to retrieve it. He throws it to Lianne, who laughingly pretends to throw it to Veronica, then runs away, with Veronica chasing her. Lianne lets Veronica tackle her and they tussle over the frisbee. Keith runs up, drops to the sand and begins tickling them both._

That day at the beach was our best family vacation ever. It wasn't all bad with my mother; at one time we all loved each other to death. To death._  
_  
Dad's crazy if he thinks I'm not going to investigate my mother's murder. And why would someone set me up for Wiedman's murder? I know Dad's not going to let it drop either, I just wish we could work on it together. And if I keep busy enough, maybe I won't wake up crying in the middle of the night like I did last night.

----------

Logan knocks on Dr. Friedman's door.

"Logan, come in. I was glad I was able to fit you in when you called. Are you skipping classes today?"

"I'm not really 'up' for classes today, I've had enough drama to last awhile." Logan sits down. The comfortable easy chair with big arms was easy to sink into. Logan never chooses the couch, he can't imagine why anyone would. He drums his fingers on the arm.

"Did something happen?"

Logan snorts. "I am just the biggest loser in the world. I bailed out my ex-girlfriend and laid out the cash for the best attorney for her that I could find."

"Why does that make you a loser? When you decided to help her, did you have another motive?"

"Sneaky, Dr. Friedman. Always with the questions."

"Logan, please tell me what happened. All of it."

He tells her everything that happened in Neptune, culminating in Veronica's harsh words and his departure.

"And??"

Logan says, "And what? Isn't that enough?"

"Well, did you get drunk and screw the first girl you found?"

He stares at her. "No."

"Logan, that's called progress. And although you reacted to Veronica, I don't think you overreacted. Well, maybe a little, calling her boyfriend a jackass. But, I have to tell you, I think he IS a jackass, he should have come forward immediately to give her an alibi. His actions were not the actions of a lover. Didn't you say that Veronica's friends also jumped into action to try to help with her alibi? Where was her lover at that time? You cared about her at one point, and I think it's appropriate to express concern. But we should work on how you can express your feelings without alienating the people you care about."

Logan stares at her. The last thing he was expecting was support. This is the longest statement Dr. Friedman has made since they started working together. Usually, he has to do all the heavy lifting in these sessions.

The silence lengthens. Dr. Friedman begins to blush and says, "Logan, it's actually a little inappropriate for me to direct your feelings that way, but I thought your actions were very generous, especially since you have indicated to me that you did not end the relationship on good terms and haven't spoken since."

Logan says, "I think I mostly did it for Keith. Veronica doesn't know how lucky she is." He avoids looking at his therapist.

"I agree." Dr. Friedman clears her throat and says, "Do you want to talk about your charity idea?"

Logan has been toying with the idea of creating a charity to honor his mother. "I've decided that a shelter and halfway house for battered wives and children in Neptune is the best way to honor my mom's memory. I think I'm going to call it 'The Bridge'."

"The bridge to..."

"The Bridge to peace, to a new life, to a future, whatever." He doesn't mention 'jumping' off a bridge, but the reference is clear to Dr. Friedman. "Keith and I scouted some buildings on Saturday while I was there, he thinks it's a great idea and wants to help. My attorney Cliff is setting up the paperwork."

"What does Veronica think?"

"I haven't told her. She's not...she's not in my life anymore, the way that Keith is. It's always been so difficult with her."

"Why do you think that is?"

Logan looks at her directly. "Enough with the questions, already. I get it, it's the process. But I really don't want to go there."

"Not yet, you mean. I'm afraid we're out of time, Logan, but we'll continue talking at our regular session. Until then, I want you to think about the possibility that you are allowed to grieve for your relationship with Veronica."

_Grieve?_ he thinks.__

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Cactus Flower  
**Keith considers the anonymous letters;  
Veronica organizes her suspect file.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Eli: Francis Capra.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TEN: "CACTUS FLOWER"

Keith is frowning at five letters spread across his desk. Each is on plain white bond paper, with words and letters cut out from various magazines and glued onto the paper.

'Repent, the time of Reckoning is upon you'  
'Whosoever shall lay with the sinner shall be struck by the hand of god's messenger'  
'The Mother shall bear the burdens of the Father'  
'The sins of the Father shall be visited upon the lamb'

The latest is just as bad.

'Judge not; for only the lord can forgive a sin'

_Just a random crazy? Not likely,_ he thinks. He takes a pair of tweezers from his desk drawer and pulls the word 'sin' from the note. _Just like the other ones, a word printed on glossy colored paper, with a white backing. What kind of magazine only prints on one side?_

Keith picks up the phone and dials Veronica's number. "How's it going the first day back?...that's great, honey...I'm sure you'll catch up in no time. Maybe Wallace can work a few extra hours this week. There aren't too many pressing cases right now, I can handle it...Stay in touch, okay? I almost lost you, a dad's allowed to worry...Bye honey."

Hanging up, he sighs deeply, closing his eyes and massaging his forehead. He can't help remembering his beloved daughter, terrified, in a freezer screaming for him. It's an image that haunts him every day and every night when he closes his eyes. Sometimes it morphs into a broken limbed corpse on the sidewalk beside the Neptune Grand, and he shudders to think how easily it could have been Veronica instead of Cassidy in those crime scene photos. He knows that his daughter takes impossible risks with her life, and he blames himself. She thrills to the chase, to the adventure of the discovery of every sordid detail, and he introduced her to this adrenaline rush in a misguided pursuit of daddy-daughter time. These notes are frightening him. There is no forensic evidence on them, no stray hairs, no fingerprints that he could ask Deputy Chief Leo to run for him. The vagueness of the threats terrifies him more than if they itemized a plan that he could actually DO something about.

He picks up the phone again. "Eli, it's Keith Mars. I have a proposal for you. Can you meet me at my office later today?...That will be fine. See you at 5:30 then." He hangs up, but the feeling of dread has not eased.

----------

Mac enters her dorm room and find Veronica studying on the bed. "Hey roomie."

"Hi, Mac, that cactus was really sweet."

"Well, it kind of reminded me of you. Beautiful, tough and resilient, prickly, flowers rarely..."

"Thanks, I think," Veronica says drily.

"Plus you don't have to water it very often, plant-killer."

Veronica laughs, "My green thumb is offended. Are you going to Vegas again this weekend?"

Mac grins. "Yes, I am. Did you want to come and celebrate getting off house arrest?"

Veronica replies, "I am so behind in my work. I have a statistical modeling project for Quantitative Sociology due next Wednesday and an org beaver paper due on Monday that I have to finish," _and I have an idea how to start investigating my mother that won't wait, _she adds in her head.

"Sounds good, Veronica. It's nice to have you here, I was lonely when you were gone." Mac settles in on her bed and opens her laptop to begin her work. She has been going to Vegas almost weekly for the last year. Money was tight for the Mackenzies and Mac has tried several part-time jobs to help pay her tuition, including her consultant work for Veronica and Keith.

One weekend a classmate in her game theory class suggested she accompany him on a trip to Vegas. Armed with her killer math skills and a surprisingly successful poker face, she cleaned up at blackjack and poker. Over the last year, she has developed several successful betting systems as well as a way of counting cards that improved her odds enough that she usually returns home at least a thousand dollars up, and she occasionally has a large payoff of two thousand or more.

Now Mac has begun to rotate disguises, since she worried that she could be identified as a card counter and banned from the casinos. Veronica occasionally accompanies her, but rarely bets significantly, concentrating on small stakes blackjack and the occasional one-armed bandit, and often preferring to spend her time at the casino shows or on nearby desert excursions. Of course, Veronica has provided Mac with several excellent photo IDs so that she could enter the casino floor and has helped Mac develop her distinct disguises. Mac is thinking she will wear the long blonde wig and tailored business suit, low-cut with a padded pushup bra, for this weekend, "Gail Simone". She giggles, thinking about how hard it had been for her to dress up as Gail at first.

----------

Later that day, Veronica heads to her jujitsu class. Even though Mike had helped her to improve her self-defense skills over the summer, her internship had impressed upon her the need to develop greater physical prowess to compensate for her petite size. She enjoys the workout, and the heady sense of control when she defeats a larger opponent is intoxicating. Veronica doesn't allow many things to interfere with this class, and she has missed it during her time in jail and on house arrest.

In the corner of her eye, she thinks she sees someone just behind her. She whirls and sees only a maintenance man, carrying a clipboard and a small bag of what she assumes are tools, walking toward a nearby class building. She turns, relieved, and enters the sports center for her class.

After she enters the building, the maintenance man clicks on the two-way feature on his phone, "Weevil, come in...I'm sorry, man, she saw me. She's in the sports center now...Nope, I didn't see anyone else hanging around...Okay, I'll see ya later." He clicks off the phone and walks away.

---------

Logan finds an envelope with no return address in his mail.

_Dear Logan,  
I have thought about calling you every day since we fought. But I can't seem to talk to you anymore so I thought I'd try to write you. How quaint, I know.  
I don't want to leave it like this, I really am grateful to you. I don't know why we can't avoid the bitterness and spite when we see each other. After all, we did have some beautiful times together.  
I wanted you to know that I will pay you back for every penny you spent on my defense. It's been very hard for me to know that I needed you to come to my rescue again. I don't like being dependent on anyone, except maybe Dad.  
I hope you're happy in L.A._

V  
  
Logan starts to crumple the letter, then reconsiders, smooths it again, and puts it in his desk drawer. He sits, looking out at the distant sunset diminishing beyond the Venice Beach pier.

----------

Veronica opens a new computer file and creates a new password-encrypted folder. She creates a file and begins to type.

"Why did Clarence Wiedman kill Lianne Mars?  
Did Wiedman have a previous relationship with Lianne?  
Was Wiedman hired to kill Lianne by Jake Kane or another person?  
Was Lianne blackmailing Jake Kane?  
Where has Lianne been for the last two and a half years, and what was she doing?  
Who killed Wiedman and why?  
Was Wiedman murdered to ensure his silence by his employer?  
Was Wiedman murdered to avenge Lianne's murder?  
Who hates me enough to frame me for murder?"

She creates another file titled "Suspects" and types:

Jake Kane  
Celeste Kane  
Rose Manning  
Stewart Manning  
Liam Fitzpatrick  
Gory Sorokin  
unknown??

She thinks a moment. She goes back to her list of questions, erases the last line and types:

"Who hates me enough to kill my mother and frame me for murder?"

She hugs herself, grimacing, and thinks, _There are an awful lot of people who should be added to this list. The only ones I know for sure aren't on it: Dad, Wallace, Mac, Weevil...and Logan. _She catches herself, and thinks, _And Mike._


	3. Chapter 11 to Chapter 15

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Eventual Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated.

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**True Lies  
**Mac sees some old friends in Vegas; Keith  
tries to protect Veronica.  
Mac: Tina Majorino. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Carrie: Amber Heard.  
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Himself.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

CHAPTER ELEVEN: "TRUE LIES"

Mac is never really going to get used to the whole concept of a Wonderbra. _Mashing your boobs together for cleavage, what man thought of that?_ It always takes her a while to feel comfortable in this outfit. Veronica helped her pick it out: a cream-colored pant suit, nipped at the waist, with flowing pants and a red camisole with a deeply plunging, soft-draping neckline. And the topper? A blonde wig, shoulder-length hair. Mac drew the line at high heels; they compromised on sandals with a small heel that matched the suit exactly.

When Mac first started going to Vegas, it only took two weekends before she saw that the security guards had noticed her winning ways. When they whispered in the ear of her blackjack dealer, she cashed out quickly and left before there was a problem. Her fellow math majors had warned her that the casinos were constantly on the lookout for card-counters and cheaters; in fact one of her classmates was banned from the Sands. She discussed the problem with Veronica and they came up with five distinct outfits and wigs, IDs to match, and a plan. Veronica did a little research and decided Mac would be safer if she changed blackjack tables every 30 minutes and moved to a different casino at least twice a day. In addition, Mac made sure to lose a hand once in a while if she was winning too much.

It always amazes her: this persona, "Gail Simone", seems to take over Mac's body. She finds herself walking sexily, and flirting with the dealers. Saying things she would never say as Mac. Even, gasp, wearing makeup.

She's been at this table for about twenty minutes, when a man, dressed to the nines, sits down to her right. "I assume this seat is available?" He catches her eye, and she gasps. It's Logan, in a beautiful Armani tux. He looks at her again, "I know you, don't I? Wait...Mac?"

Flirtatiously, as 'Gail', she replies, "Logan, how could you forget, it's _Gail_? How are you?" She leans over, kisses his cheek, and whispers in his ear, _"Play along, willya?"_

Logan smiles, "Of course, Gail, it's been quite a while. And may I say, I've never seen you look more...voluptuous?" His eyes drop to her breasts, then he continues, laughing, "Perhaps it's your...outfit?"

Mac thinks that Logan is enjoying this just a little too much. She replies, "You don't look so bad yourself. Mad bling, dawg," she teases. After the next hand, she stands up and says, "Logan, let's get a drink."

Logan stands and offers his arm. Mac takes it; as 'Gail', she somehow knows she's supposed to do things like that with a gentleman; as Mac, she'd probably roll her eyes and call him a tool. They walk over to the bar. As they approach, Mac sees other familiar faces: Dick, John Enbom, and Dick's frat brother, Chip Diller. _Great_, she thinks. She snarks, "What happens in Neptune, just doesn't stay in Neptune."

"Huh?" Dick says. "Who's this...holy crap, Mac, you're blonde."

"Very astute observation, Dick," Mac says.

Logan says, "All right. What's going on? Veronica didn't send you to spy on us, did she?"

Mac raises her eyebrows. "I really don't think she keeps tabs on you, Logan. I'm just here having a little fun."

"And the getup?"

"I just thought I needed a makeover."

"No...something's up. Spill."

"Alright, listen up." She lowers her voice. "I've been coming here to earn tuition money. The whole math and comp sci major thing actually teaches you a lot about card playing, you know? The casinos get upset if you win too much, so I'm keeping a low profile."

"You're a card shark?" Dick says in disbelief. "Sweet!! And...I'm totally into the whole blonde thing."

Mac rolls her eyes.

"Hey, Carrie," Logan says. A stunning, slender blonde slips her arm around Logan's back. Her dress is gold, shimmering, and clings to her like a second skin. Logan says lasciviously, "I like blondes too."

"Especially Dick," Mac says. Three other good-looking girls join them and they are introduced to Mac as Helena, Rachel and Claire. "What are you guys doing here in Vegas and why are you all so dressed up?"

Enbom says, "You know Dick's mom married Schwarzenegger's business manager? Well, FOA is throwing a fund-raising reception for Rudy Giuliani tonight and to impress her husband's boss Dick's mom bought a whole table and gave us the tickets. My dad let us fly in on the corporate jet."

"What's FOA?" Mac asks.

"Friends of Ahnold," Logan says. "I think they're going to try to burn the constitution before 2012 so he can run for guvernator-in-chief."

Chip says, "Chief Executive-girlie-man."

"Hasta la vista, baby." Dick chimes in, laughing.

Logan says, "Mac, do you want to join us? We can probably get you into the reception. Although I have to warn you, it's probably going to be deadly dull."

"With that kind of advertisement, I think I'll pass. The night is young and I have cards to count."

Dick said, "Come on, Mac, at least stop by so I can grope you on the dance floor."

Helena swats him. Mac promises to stop by and see the celebs sometime during the evening, and they say goodbye.

Mac watches them leave, noting how incredible Logan looks in his tux and how attentive he is to Carrie. She thinks, _Veronica is crazy. _And then she thinks, _Dick wants to grope me?_

----------

"Mr. Mars, it's Eli."

"Eli, how goes it? Have you seen anybody around Veronica?"

"No. I'm guessing this has something to do with whoever framed her."

Keith says, "I don't know anything. I just have a bad feeling. Be careful she doesn't spot you."

"I know," Weevil says. "I have my maintenance crew helping me. There's usually something that needs repairing everywhere on campus. It's harder when she goes off campus, I can't leave if I'm on a shift."

"I know, Eli, but at least she's safe when she's there. Keep watching and let me know if you spot anyone."

"Will do, Mr. Mars."

----------

Veronica enters Mars Investigations. She calls out "Dad? you here?" Satisfied that she's alone, she turns on the outer office computer and pulls up a keystroke capture program. She runs the program and manages to retrieve the passwords Mike used for the FBI databases. _Well, 89!jquc&#, you are a sneaky bastard,_ she thinks. She quickly searches for "Lianne Mars" and "Clarence Wiedman". She takes a second to peruse the information on her mother and finds her mother was arrested and convicted in a Texas border town a year ago for drug possession. Thinking for a second, she runs the other names on her suspect lists, Jake and Celeste Kane, the Mannings, Liam Fitzpatrick and Gory Sorokin. _FBI Agent--Best...Boyfriend...Ever!! _ Suddenly, she hears a car pull up, and, suspecting it's her father, she quickly uploads the files to her online .mac account for later access and quits the database.

Keith walks in, "Hi honey, I didn't expect to see you her."

Veronica says, "Hi dad. I can't find some of my notes for my statistical modeling project and I wondered if they were on the hard drive here, but no luck. I'm going to have to start over from scratch."

"Well, do you have time for dinner and a video with your dad? I'm thinking pizza and _'Planet of the Apes'_."

"'Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!' A true cinema classic. Can we get black olives on the pizza?"

"On half, Veronica, and I want anchovies on my half."

Later that evening at the apartment, they polish off the pizza in no time. As the movie ends on the iconic Statue of Liberty image, the Mars father and daughter chant exultantly along with Charlton Heston, "'You blew it up! Damn you! Damn you all to hell!'" They turn to a local channel to watch some more mindless entertainment. Veronica, yawning, snuggles up to her father and dozes off.

_Logan is caressing her arms. He pulls her close, breathes in the smell of her as if he's intoxicated; he begins to kiss her shoulder, and then deliberately bites her neck, hard. Veronica shivers, aroused; she strokes his back, reaching for his ass and pulling him in closer. Brushing his fingers insistently against the side of her breast, he kisses her neck, her chin, her lips. She tastes blood; he pulls back and she looks at his face. Lustful, eyes full of desire--and covered in blood. _Veronica moans and her dad shakes her, "Wake up, Veronica, you're having a bad dream." For a moment she's disoriented, then she remembers her dream and thinks, _Logan, a vampire? That's ridiculous._

----------

In Vegas, Mac is pleased with her winnings. Not excessive enough to draw attention, but she has done well. She decides she will drop in on the party for a little while before she heads to her economy hotel room on the outskirts of town.

When she enters the ballroom, she sees wall-to-wall celebrities, and she is definitely underdressed. Arnold Schwarzenegger, behind a lectern, is finishing up a speech. "There is another way you can tell you're a Republican. You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people, and faith in the U.S. economy. To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: 'Don't be economic girlie men!'(2)" The crowd applauds vigorously, and the band begins to play loud disco music.

Mac sees Karl Rove in the crowd and shivers unconsciously; there's Tom Selleck and Dean Cain (god, how could he be a Republican?); Bruce Willis, ohmigod. She spots Logan and waves. He comes over and says, "I'm glad you came by. The speeches were interminable."

"Somebody's been studying their word-a-day calendar, I see," she teases.

"I'm not just eye candy, you know." They walk over to the table.

Seeing Mac, Dick says, "How much did you win tonight?"

She evades the question, saying, "About like usual."

"Do you think you could teach me how to do it?"

"I suppose anything's possible," she snarks. Enbom laughs and punches Dick in the shoulder.

Dick glares at Enbom, and stands up. "C'mon Mac, I want that dance."

Mac grabs his extended hand and they head for the dance floor. "Helena seems to be very tolerant of you," Mac says.

"What do you mean?"

"I probably would have slapped you silly by now."

"Aw, Mac, you know I can't help being an idiot. It's like, genemic."

"You mean genetic, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I said. You really do look gorgeous, Mac." He slides his hand down her back, aiming for her ass, but she grabs it just in time and replaces it at her waist.

"Dick, is that Jake and Celeste Kane over there?"

"Yep, they're here. They're back together again. You know they split up for a while; Mr. Kane moved back to Neptune alone and bought that creepster house. I heard it was like a freak show in there, all dark and spooky."

"Do you know why they split up?" Mac asked.

"I heard they were arguing a lot over the whole Duncan thing, I think Mrs. Kane wanted to sue Veronica, but Mr. Kane told her it would only make things worse. Mr. Kane has been trying to get amnesty for Duncan, he told me tonight that his lawyers are finally making some progress."

"And of course there's also Lilly."

"Yeah..." Dick gives her an unhappy look. "Are you sure you're not here snooping for Ronnie?"

"No, I'm just--curious," Mac says. She sees the Kanes again; Celeste is furious about something, Jake grabs her arm and it looks like he's trying to calm her down. Jake smiles and waves at an acquaintance, then turns back to Celeste and quietly tells her something. They leave the ballroom.

"Thanks for the dance, Dick," Mac says as they rejoin the group at the table. Mac is reluctant to admit it, but she enjoys hanging with the '09ers for the rest of the evening. _Maybe blondes do have more fun, _she thinks wistfully.

----------

Later that evening, Logan gets out of bed, trying not to disturb Carrie. He quietly opens the balcony door and sits down, looking out at the glaring Vegas night scene. She is beautiful, and sexy, and smart, and for some reason it's just not working for him. She's patient; she knows all about his moods, allowing him to stare out at the ocean in peace, and she never puts pressure on him. For some reason, he always calls her Carrie; he doesn't have a pet name for her, he can't seem to think of one.

She opens the balcony door and joins him. "Logan, is everything okay?"

"It was just a little bit too much like a high school reunion tonight," he mumbles.

"High school wasn't fun for you, Logan?"

"Not exactly."

"Come back to bed, let me take your mind off whatever's bothering you." She is pretty sure _who's _on his mind, but she is wise enough to know that she's better off not mentioning it.

"In a minute."

She returns to bed and Logan continues to sit on the balcony, alone.

* * *

2: Actual quote: 2004 Republican National Convention, August 31, 2004 

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**The Usual Suspects  
**There's a new candidate for sheriff; Leo  
updates Keith on the investigation; Mac tells  
Veronica what happened in Vegas.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Celeste Kane:  
Lisa Thornhill. Mike: Michael Trucco.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWELVE: "THE USUAL SUSPECTS"

Wallace exits Java the Hut carrying two cups of coffee for him and Keith. He sees a deputy writing a parking ticket for his car and hustles over, shouting, "Hey, hey, I'm here, I'll move the car. Please, stop!"

The deputy smirks and says, "Well, Mr. Fennel, you know you're supposed to park six inches from the curb. I measured six point five inches, and I'm really, really sorry, but you know that once I start writing the ticket, I have to complete it." He signs with a flourish, rips the ticket out of his book and hands it to Wallace. "Have a truly excellent day, Mr. Fennel."

Wallace thinks, _Damn, that's the fourth parking ticket in two months._ He drives to Mars Investigations.

"Keith, can I ask you something? I've gotten four parking tickets in two months. I mean, I never got a single ticket before that, and now I can't catch a break. Do I have a target painted on my car?"

Keith frowns. "You're kidding. I've had five tickets myself, and not for particularly legitimate parking offenses. Cliff got a couple dismissed due to sloppy ticket writing, but I paid three just to get rid of them. I think Mars Investigations has been targeted for harassment by our lovable Sheriff Vinnie. Give me the ticket, Wallace; if I can't get it dismissed, I want to take care of it. In the future, you need to be extremely careful of your parking; try to park on the side streets where your car is less visible."

Wallace says, "Will do, Mr. Mars, I really appreciate it. You know my moms, she had a fit about the other three."

Keith goes in his office and shuts the door. Wallace shrugs and sits down in the outer office and pulls out a file folder from his book bag. He had an idea last night about Wiedman's murder and he wants to work on it for a while before showing it to Keith. He has made a list of the fictional characters from Keith's novel, and he is trying to match them up to real-life '09ers and actual cases from Keith's files. _I know it's a long shot, Keith was adamant that no characters were based on real people, but hey, they always say "write what you know" and I bet he couldn't help but throw a little reality in._ He begins the arduous task of searching for key words in Keith's files that match his list of characters.

----------

Keith picks up the phone. "Hi Inga, can I speak to the Deputy Chief please?...Leo, it's Keith Mars."

"Hey, Keith. I can't tell you how glad I am that Veronica's indictment was dismissed. Have things gotten back to normal for you and her yet?"

"Well, you know Veronica." Keith says. "I'm not really sure what normal is for that girl. Lianne's murder and Veronica's arrest were pretty hard for both of us...Leo, off the record, I wanted to ask you if someone in the Sheriff's office is targeting Mars Investigations for parking violations. I've had five myself and my assistant had his fourth ticket today."

Leo is quiet for a minute. "Keith, I'm in an awkward situation here...I'm not happy about it, and I haven't participated myself. Let's just say that bonuses have been offered for certain quotas that Sheriff Van Lowe has stated are 'in the best interest of the department'."

"That's what I suspected. I've told my assistant to be more cautious and to follow the laws meticulously, and I plan on doing the same."

"It's not just you and Wallace, sir."

"Who else? Veronica?"

"Yes, she's had six, and her friend Mac has had two. Veronica protested all eight, and got seven of them dismissed."

"That's my girl," Keith chuckles.

"I wish I could be more help, but I'm sorry to tell you that there are some in the department that think that Veronica got away with murder, and they are supporting Sheriff Van Lowe one hundred percent. Personally, I'm quite convinced that if Veronica had killed Clarence Wiedman there would not have been one speck of evidence, she's way too smart to leave forensics behind."

"That's not a very comforting sentiment," Keith says, getting a little angry.

"Keith, you know I like Veronica, and I don't think she could have committed a cold-blooded murder. I'm just saying she could never in a million lifetimes be a _careless_ murderer, and I can't understand how anyone in the department could have believed that evidence for one second."

"Okay, point taken. Are there are any new leads in the case?"

"No, and I'm getting discouraged about the lack of direction from the top. I promise you I'm doing my best, but you know our Vinnie: he's great at press conferences, and sucking up to the mayor, but analyzing the evidence and actually investigating--not his forte."

"I appreciate you trying. There will always be a cloud over Veronica if there is no conviction," Keith says quietly.

After a moment, Leo continues. "Keith, I'm glad you called today. I wanted to speak to you about another matter. I'm interested in running for sheriff in the next election, but I wanted to see if you were going to run before I make my final decision."

"Leo, the sheriff's department, at least in Neptune, is definitely not in my future. I would like to be the first to offer my support. Of course, that's if you would even want my endorsement, considering the way this town feels about me." Keith says.

Leo replies, "Keith, you have more friends than you know, and a lot of admirers. Let me think about that endorsement; you might be right about that not being my best move. But I would be interested in every bit of advice you could give me." They agree to meet later in the week to discuss strategy, with Keith smiling at the prospect of a new gun in town.

Keith wonders about the department's seeming lack of interest in the case. Pressure from above? Professional incompetence? He decides to investigate the eyewitness, who claimed to have seen Wiedman execute Lianne and then flee town.

----------

Veronica shuts off her alarm, stretches and looks over to Mac's bed.

"Hey, Veronica," Mac says sleepily, eyes half-closed.

"Did you have fun in Vegas? And the most important part, how much money did you make?"

"About $1650, after I paid for the hotel room. But you're not going to believe who I ran into," Mac replies.

"Tell me during breakfast, I don't want to be late for class," Veronica says, heading out to the showers.

At breakfast, Mac notices that people are staring. "What the hell's going on? Did I forget and wear my pajamas again?"

Veronica snorts. "That was classic. No, it's not you, it's me. Apparently, I am the demon spawn who got away with murder. Not only that, someone dug up the old video of me and Piz and sent it around again, so I'm also a slutty murderer. Actually, I kind of like everyone being afraid of me. It's been like this ever since I came back."

"But that's totally unfair, the charges were dropped."

"Yes, but there are no other suspects, according to Sheriff Van Lowe. The Sunday paper led with the story of how all the other viable suspects had been cleared. Of course, no one was named, because I'm betting dear Vinnie hasn't actually investigated at all, and is hoping to refile charges at a later date. He actually gave a quote that 'Ms. Mars has quite a fanciful imagination and could easily have created a double jeopardy scenario to assure her acquittal.' Then he followed up with 'Rest assured, the Neptune Sheriff's department is working overtime to identify the true killer.'"

"Leaving the impresssion that it's you," Mac worries.

"That is correct, and that is why, believe it or not, college actually is worse than high school. I would have bet big money that nothing could surpass the joy that was Neptune High," Veronica says sarcastically.

Mac laughs, "And I would have taken that action! Listen, I gotta tell you what happened in Vegas." She tells Veronica about the FOA party and seeing Logan, Dick, Enbom, and Chip and their dates. She selectively omits telling Veronica about Logan's gorgeous date and how incredible Logan looked. Since she has decided that Dick wasn't actually hitting on her, she just tells Veronica that Dick was his usual lecherous self.

"But that's not what I wanted to tell you about. Jake and Celeste Kane were at the party together," Mac says excitedly. "And they were fighting. Well, not like my parents fight, but in that clenched-jaw way that WASPs have an argument."

Veronica thinks a minute. "Jake and Celeste are back together? I heard that they separated. Jake moved back here and Celeste moved to Palm Springs."

"No," Mac shakes her head, "Dick said they are definitely together again and living in Neptune. He said they have about a million lawyers working to get amnesty for Duncan, and that Celeste wanted to sue you. I'm not sure what she thought her cause of action was, aiding and abetting her criminal son? It sounds like she's not quite sane."

"No, I don't think Celeste has been completely sane for quite a while. Lilly's death sent her over the edge. She was quite convinced that Duncan killed his sister, and I think she blamed me for somehow precipitating it."

"What about your mother? Did Celeste blame her too?" Mac says.

_FLASHBACK: Veronica and Duncan with their animatronic baby from Health Class at the Kane residence. Celeste Kane says to Duncan, bitchily, "I told your father something like this would happen. This is exactly why we should have taken you up to Napa." Veronica gasps theatrically, and says, "Not in front of the baby!" When Veronica implies that Celeste dumped her own baby at the senior prom, Celeste bitterly snipes, "When I look at your face, all I see is your drunk slut of a mother."_

"Yes, Celeste blamed my mother..." Veronica starts. After a pause, she continues, "Yes...in fact, she blamed my mother for the problems in her marriage, and she blamed my dad for implicating Jake in Lilly's murder investigation. She definitely has it in for the Mars family. And I have to say, I'm quite surprised to learn that she has been in town the whole time while all this has been going on." Looking questioningly at Mac, Veronica continues, "I wonder if Celeste has had any large withdrawals from her bank account. What do you think, Queen Leeterati?"

Mac is silent for a moment and then says, "Veronica, that's really a big deal. You know what kind of encryption those accounts have, and that kind of hacking is federal hacking, you know what I mean?"

"I know. Let me think about this. Don't do anything that would get you in trouble." Veronica is thinking how convenient it is that her boyfriend is in the FBI. "I think I know another way to get Celeste's banking information."

----------

"No!...no way, Veronica. I can't. And by the way, I know you used my username and password to access the federal secure records database last week. When I tried to login, it said, 'Username already logged in'. You're the only one outside the FBI who's seen me type my username and password." Mike says, testily.

"Nice password, by the way," she says airily. They are speaking by cell phone as Veronica walks to class.

Mike grits his teeth and says, "Veronica, don't you get it? You're not really out of the woods here. You need to stick to the straight and narrow from here on in, your dick of a sheriff is looking to refile charges against you, based on what I read in the Sunday paper."

"When did my man become 'the man'? Where's your sense of adventure? And besides, if you think there's any solution to this other than me clearing my own name, you are more retarded than Vinnie."

"Really nice, Veronica." Mike hangs up.

Veronica thinks, _Our first fight. And no make-up sex in sight. I'm going to have to think of another way to investigate Celeste.  
_  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Sea of Love  
**Veronica and Mac start a new business enter-  
prise; Mike blows off Veronica; Logan and  
Carrie are getting closer.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Mike: Michael Trucco. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Carrie: Amanda Heard.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: "SEA OF LOVE"

VERONICA

I should be studying. I really do have a project due in two days. But I can't help reading over the information I found on my mom in the FBI database.

A year ago my mom was arrested for drug possession in El Paso, Texas. A border town. I didn't know my mom did drugs; I knew she had a drinking problem and a serious truth problem, but the drugs are new. The information doesn't go into the details, just states that Lianne Mars served thirty days and paid a $10,000 fine. Now that's interesting. Where did my mom get $10,000?

I know she didn't get it from Dad; if we had that kind of money laying around, I wouldn't have had to give up my Stanford dreams. I balance my Dad's checkbook every month; there were no mysterious withdrawals from the Mars account.

Mom only has one friend in El Paso--a college friend, Rick Walters. I can try to contact him. And I've ordered the court transcripts from my mom's trial at "Court Records Online". I know she didn't have million-dollar legal representation, I'm betting there's a lot of information to be gained from the transcript. I still don't know where my mom was recently, but her trial seems like a good place to start.

----------

Mac opens the dorm room door, and says, "Veronica, did you know someone wrote on our door?" There is a girl with Mac who looks a little nervous, and keeps glancing back and forth from the door to Veronica. "This is Heather, she wants to hire you to investigate her boyfriend."

Veronica jumps off the bed and goes to look at the door. Scrawled on the white board is "THE PORNO BABE IS A KILLER". She grabs the eraser. Mac says, "Don't bother, they used permanent marker. We'll have to get a new memo board."

Veronica takes the board off the door and throws it in the trash. "It just keeps getting better, doesn't it? Hi, Heather, I'm Veronica, I'm harmless, I swear." She puts her hand out to shake Heather's; after a moment, Heather takes it, then looks around for a place to sit.

Heather chooses the desk chair, and begins hesitantly. "I'm a sophomore. When I was a freshman, I used to go to the frat parties, but it wasn't for me. I'm not good at small talk and I'm not a big drinker. Every guy I met was a pig. That guy Dick Casablancas was chasing me for two weeks."

"We know Dick," Veronica says. "Probably a good idea to avoid him."

"So one night a few months ago, I found a dating website online and thought I would try it. It's called 'TrueHeart dot com' and it specializes in finding matches for college students. I filled out a personality profile and they sent me a few matches right away. I corresponded with them a while, and finally I went on a few dates with one of my matches."

Veronica asks, "So how can I help you?"

Heather continues, "Ryan wants to go away together next weekend. I'm assuming that means..."

"You'll be taking it to the next level, I got it. Why do you think you need to investigate him?" Veronica says.

Heather's shoulders slump. "I don't know! He's totally great. I've never had so much fun with a guy before. I just--I just want to make sure..."

Mac says, "Veronica, you can check this guy out for Heather, right?"

"Of course, I can do a background check like this in my sleep."

Heather says, "I can pay you whatever it costs."

Veronica thinks a second, and says, "I think $200 should cover it. I'll run a full check on him tonight and let you know the results in the morning. Write down everything you know about this guy." She hands Heather a sheet of paper.

Heather writes down a name, a cell phone number, and an email address. Veronica raises her eyebrows. "That's it? How about his school, his major, his hobbies, anything you got? And how I can get in touch with you if I need more information." Heather nods, and adds to her list. She finishes by writing down her name and cell phone number. She pulls out her checkbook and writes Veronica a check.

Veronica takes it, and says, "I'll call you tomorrow. Don't worry, Heather, he's probably a great guy." Veronica thinks, _Not a chance in hell._

After Heather leaves, Mac turns to Veronica. "You know, I had a great idea. Sort of like my old purity test."

"Continue, Yoda," Veronica smirks.

"Well, what if there was a way to certify your potential matches before you wasted time getting to know a jerk? For instance, you agree to provide your information, your real name, address, and your social security number, to a third party. This third party verifies the information matches, runs a criminal background check, checks to see if there are any bankruptcies or outstanding judgments, and, most importantly, confirms marital status."

Veronica adds, "You'd have to check for cohabitation as well."

Mac continues,"The third party would then certify to any potential matches, without revealing any actual information, that you satisfy minimum dating requirements. Of course, you could still be a jerk."

Veronica laughs. "Yeah, I'm not sure that there's a jerk database to check. I'm assuming that this third party you speak of will be you and me, correct?"

Mac smiles. "I'm thinking, you will be Rockford. I'll be managing the website and handling the credit card transactions."

"I'm in. I have a rather large debt to pay off to my ex-boyfriend, you know."

Mac is surprised, but just nods her head.

----------

Veronica hits speed-dial 3 on her cell. When Mike answers, she smiles and pulls up a file on her laptop.

"Hi, baby. Whatcha doin'?" she says in a throaty voice.

"Hey Veronica, I'm sorry about the other night. I know you're just frustrated at the sheriff's lack of progress, and I really do wish I could help," Mike says, apologetically.

"I know you do. But I don't want to talk about that. You know I haven't seen you for more than a week and I'm just so..._lonely_ without you."

Mike, a little confused, says, "I miss you too, Veronica."

Veronica continues, reading off her laptop. "All I can think about is how it feels when you touch me, you know, when you caress my breasts, it just makes me...quiver inside." She rolls her eyes.

"Veronica?"

"And then, you move your hand down a little further, and I just want your hand on my bare flesh, stroking me, finding my secret spot."

"Okay, who the hell is this and what did you do with Veronica? Veronica, are you READING this?"

"Damn, I tried so hard this time, I even read a few NC-17 stories on livejournal. You said I sucked at phone sex," Veronica groans. "This long distance thing is never going to work. I've got to see you, soon. I think I could get enough work done here to make a little road trip to San Fran if you're not working this weekend."

Mike replies, "Oh, Veronica, this weekend I have a big operation going on. There will be meetings and debriefings all weekend."

"I can handle the debriefing if you'd like."

Mike laughs, "Now that's more your style, Veronica. You know it's your witty banter that attracted me."

"And also I'm cute, right?"

"Especially when you reload my gun."

"Ooh, baby, tell me some more about your gun," she says huskily. They laugh. Mike says he's got to go, and they agree to talk soon. Veronica smiles, thinking about makeup sex.

----------

Later that evening, Veronica finishes the background check on Heather's potential boy-toy. Of course, Ryan turned out to be married, with two liens on his house and a lousy credit report. _It's always the bad boys that turn us on the most. Speaking of bad boys..._

Veronica pulls out some stationery, an envelope and her checkbook. She writes a check, then writes a quick note.

_Dear Logan,  
Here is your first check as promised. I know $100 is just a drop in the bucket, but I wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten my promise to you. I hope you will accept this check, so that we can be friends again someday._

_V  
_  
----------

The noise from the party at his beach house is getting to Logan, and, deciding to clear his head for a minute, he walks out onto the deck. He sees Carrie making a phone call.

"It should only be a couple more weeks...Yes, I'm sure...It won't be a problem, everything's going well--" She turns around and sees Logan. "I've gotta go, bye." She hangs up and smiles at him. "Wanna take a walk?"

He puts his arm around her and they descend the stairs to the sand. Arm in arm, they walk down the beach. "You throw a hell of a party, Logan Echolls...I think Dick might need a nurse soon."

"Well, there are plenty of girls up to the task. Not that I'm being nosy or anything, what was up with that phone call? Is everything okay?"

Carrie smiles at him. "Oh, no big deal, just something I'm finishing up. Are you okay? You seemed a little quiet tonight."

"I just have a few things on my mind. I had a difficult session with Dr. Friedman this morning," Logan says.

"Maybe if you talked about it? Do you talk about your ex a lot? I can't believe she got into trouble again, and had to get your help."

Logan looks at her for a minute. "Veronica and I have a lot of history. I couldn't let her sit in prison. She's basically a good person who does stupid things without thinking of the consequences. I don't believe she's a murderer, and it was within my power to help her, so--" he shrugs.

"But you said that she always ends up pushing you away when you help her. It seems like that must be very hurtful," Carrie says somberly.

"Carrie, I don't really want to talk about her when I'm here with you on a beautiful night." He turns her to him and brushes his lips across her cheek. His hand strokes her hair and he pulls her closer to him. He thinks, _This feels good. I am not addicted to adrenaline and pain._ Nuzzling her neck, he says huskily, "Come on, let's go back and throw everyone out. I want to do really filthy things to you."

Carrie giggles, "Only if I get a turn, too." She grabs his hand and they make their way back up the beach.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Pulp Fiction  
**Veronica discovers Eli's second job; Keith  
shows Veronica the letters.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Weevil: Francis  
Capra. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: "PULP FICTION"

Veronica leaves the campus library. _Okay, statistics project--complete. It took a long time in the library tonight, but it was worth it. Maybe if I work straight through the weekend and get ahead, I can make a trip to see Mike next weekend. A girl needs a little distraction now and then._

_I can ignore the whispers but this is ridiculous. All evening long, three guys were fake-sneezing, saying "Psycho-killer" and laughing. I put on my headphones and cranked the tunes on my iPhone, but it bothers me. As soon as I completed my research, I got the hell out of there. At least it's a nice night for a walk._

Suddenly, she stops. She hears one footstep behind her. She starts walking again.

_I'm not imagining it. There's someone behind me._ She reaches in her purse for her taser, and thinks about the campus layout. There's a doorway just ahead in the shadows that will be perfect.

She speeds up, and ducks into the doorway. A dark figure hurries past, and she runs up to him, taser in hand. She jams the taser in his back and yells, "Stop! Why are you following me?"

"Hold up, girlie, it's me," Weevil says, sheepishly.

"Weevil?" She drops her taser to her side and Weevil turns to her.

"Yeah. I was working near the library and it's pretty late, so when I saw you walking alone, I thought I better tag along. People are saying unbelievable things about you lately," Weevil says lamely.

Veronica stares at him, tilting her head. "I don't believe you. Now that I think of it, I've seen you all over the place the last week. And your buddies in maintenance seem to always be working wherever I am. Quite a coincidence, if you ask me." She stabs him in the chest with her finger on each word: "What the hell is going on?"

Weevil holds up his hands. "Okay, you don't have to hurt me, chica. And what have I told you about that head tilt thing?" He grabs her arm and pulls her to a bench. "Keith hired me to watch over you on campus, just to keep an eye out. He especially said to let him know if I saw anybody else following you. I got my guys to help, because, damn!, girl, you're all over the place."

Veronica, pissed, looks at Weevil. "Dad hired you? What the fuck?"

Weevil leans on his elbows, looks down at the ground, and then back at Veronica. "Sometimes you haven't been very careful in the past, and I don't blame him for worrying. I'm worried too. You act like you're some sort of immortal superhero, and the truth is that there are people who really hate your perky face. Someone capped your mother, Veronica; this isn't a joke."

"I know, and I'm being careful."

"No...you're not." Weevil stares at her seriously. "I'm not going to stop watching out for you. You can put your little taser away and I'll walk you back to the dorm."

"All right, but Weevil...you owe me. You should have told me what was up."

"You just would have poked me with your cute little finger," Weevil replies sarcastically. They start walking to Veronica's dorm.

Veronica thinks, _I guess at least I know some people care about me. _"Actually, Weevil, I think I need to talk to my dad. Can you walk me to my car?" They change direction, heading for the student parking lot, where Weevil makes sure she locks her doors before she drives off.

----------_  
_  
Keith is speaking on the phone when she walks into Mars Investigations. "Don't worry about it, Eli, she was bound to see you eventually...ah, she's here now, I'll talk to you later."

Veronica plops down into the chair. "You heard?"

"Well, you wouldn't be my daughter and my best investigator if you couldn't spot a tail. Nice work getting the drop on Eli." He smiles at her, trying to make her laugh.

"Do you want to tell me why you hired him? I think there's something you're not telling me, Dad."

Keith sighs and taps his chin, stalling. "Okay...I just didn't want you to freak out." He pulls out the file with the threatening letters and slides it across the desk to Veronica.

Frowning, she reads the letters aloud as she shuffles through them. "Repent, the time of Reckoning is upon you...Whosoever shall lay with the sinner shall be struck by the hand of god's messenger...The Mother shall bear the burdens of the Father...The sins of the Father shall be visited upon the lamb...Judge not; for only the lord can forgive a sin." She looks up at Keith.

Keith says, "After the book was published, I was mailed a copy of it that had been hacked to pieces. Disturbing...but I thought it was just a prankster, and I threw it out and didn't think much of it. Then I got the first letter. At first the letters came about two months apart, but number four--'the sins of the Father'--came about two weeks ago, and the last came just after your indictment was dismissed."

"So someone's getting more and more upset? Did you report it to our esteemed Sheriff Van Lowe?"

"Yes, but, no surprise, he didn't take it seriously."

"Dad, are you thinking that someone is punishing you for something you wrote in the book?"

Keith says adamantly, "I am sure that I made up every single character in that book. This family has had enough problems without someone screaming 'libel'."

Veronica thinks about a journal filled with the phrase "The path to God is paved with righteousness" written over and over.

_FLASHBACK: Veronica and Duncan, in the Mannings' house, investigate Meg's accusations of child abuse and are caught by Stewart Manning. Veronica tries to explain to Sheriff Lamb, "We were trying to help Grace!...They've been abusing her. They had her locked in the closet!" Stewart Manning nastily retorts, "Shut your evil little mouth...Nobody believes a word you say, you filthy, lying whore!"_

Veronica considers whether to tell her dad about the Mannings. _He has never found out what I was up to that night; now Sheriff Lamb is dead and Duncan is gone, and there's no longer any way for him to find out about it._

Keith asks, "Honey, I didn't write any Bible-thumping characters in the novel, you know that, you read it. What could I have written that would have set them off?"

"Dad, everyone in your book was amoral and scheming. Someone here in Neptune could have thought you were mocking them," Veronica says, thoughtfully.

"Veronica, I have to leave now, I have a cheating husband to follow tonight, but we are going to talk about this again tomorrow. I want you to take this seriously, and I don't want you investigating this on your own," Keith stresses.

Veronica watches, shocked, as Keith opens his desk, removes his gun in a holster, and puts on the shoulder holster. "Dad, since when do you wear a gun for the money shot?"

"Since you got arrested. We're going to talk tomorrow." Keith leaves, grabbing his camera bag.

Veronica sits there, stunned, thinking about Stewart and Rose Manning, and her dad wearing his gun.

----------

Keith, parked at the Camelot Motel, thinks about the letters and his daughter.

_Sometimes it seems as though I've spent my whole life looking for evidence that a good marriage is hard to find. Another day, another money shot. Well, it pays the bills, puts food on the table, and covers Veronica's college tuition._ He pours some more coffee from his thermos, and begins to sip it.

_College tuition...she should be going to Stanford right now, and I wouldn't have to worry about any of this. If Lianne hadn't...well, it's no use thinking about that anymore. Of course, if I could have figured out a way to keep the money from Kendall's painting, maybe we could have swung a transfer to Stanford. I've never told Veronica about what happened to Kendall and Cormac Fitzpatrick, and I intend to keep it that way. I just couldn't explain it to her. I disappointed her by showing up late for our New York trip, and by never telling her why. I don't think I could bear the look in her eyes if I told her that my actions and inactions probably cost Kendall her life. Even if Veronica did hate Kendall--she never did explain that._

_"Repent"..."Sins of the father"...there has to be a religious connection. Is it possible that Cormac's brother, Father Patrick Fitzpatrick, could be targeting me for revenge? It's hard to believe that Father Patrick is as holy as he seems, when you look at the sins of his brothers. Liam has proven he has it in for me, by backing Vinnie in the sheriff's race. Maybe they decided that ruining my career isn't enough, and only an eye for an eye, a daughter for a brother, will do._

_FLASHBACK: During Keith's tenure as interim sheriff, Liam, brought in for questioning in a series of robberies, mocks Keith. "You speaking ill of the dead, Keith? Wow, 'cause, uh, from what I understand, this crime wave doesn't let up, you won't be in charge long either." He picks up a picture from Keith's desk and looks at the photo of Veronica. "'Course, maybe these robberies will stop if I, uh, find out what happened to Kendall Casablancas and my money._

_Keith grabs the picture back, putting it out of Liam's reach. He says, "Kendall's dead, and I suspect your brother buried her in a shallow grave in the desert. As for the money, it was never yours."_

Keith sips again at his coffee, and fiddles with the radio.

_Could they possibly still be trying to find Kendall's money? It's an awfully convoluted way to go about it, but Liam's been known to run a long con. Perhaps the letters are just an attempt to rattle me, and have nothing to do with Wiedman's murders. Every time I think about the Fitzpatricks I get a headache._

Keith thinks a minute, and dials a number. "Colm, it's Keith Mars...I know I'm not sheriff anymore, can you stop laughing for a minute? I have a proposal for you, and I'm willing to pay...Vinnie being sheriff has probably cut into your confidential informant's salary a bit...All right, here's what I'm looking for. Can you find out for me if the Fitzpatricks have it in for me and my daughter?...Enough to set her up for murder?...Get back to me, I'll make it worth your while. Oh and Colm, can you talk to Father Patrick as well, I'm wondering if he's reverting to his bad boy roots?" He shuts the phone, but his worries haven't been eased a bit.

_Veronica can apply for a concealed weapon permit since she is a licensed investigator. I've always argued against it in the past, because I'd rather she stayed away from trouble, but I don't see that we have a choice. I know her dickhead boyfriend takes her to the shooting range. Veronica and I are going to have to have a talk. There's the birds and bees talk, then the pregnancy and condoms talk, and, in our family only, the loaded firearms talk. Maybe it will finally make her wake up, and stop taking chances._

_Why the hell don't we just leave Neptune? I could be a cop again, Veronica can start over, we could have a nice life._

----------

Veronica, working at her laptop, checks her email. She clicks on a new message from Court Records Online and opens the attachments. She starts to read, then, impatiently, she skips to the end. She learns that her mother had been sentenced to six months in prison, but her public defender had negotiated a deal to reduce that to time served, a $10,000 fine and a mandatory 60-day stay in drug rehab. Shocked, Veronica reads that the fine was paid by Jake Kane.

_Was my mother still involved with Jake Kane last year? Was Celeste jealous? _She thinks some more about what Mac told her. _When exactly did the Kanes get back together? Was my mother getting in the way of a reconciliation?_

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Witness  
**Veronica gets a new weapon; Leo shares infor-  
mation about the shooting witness.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: "WITNESS"

Veronica walks into Mars Investigations. Keith, yawning, says, "How's it going, honey?"

"Long night, Dad?"

"They certainly took full advantage of that fact that my client was out of town overnight. But all I care about is that they got a little careless when they said goodbye." He taps some photos on the desk, smiling. "Now, Veronica, I had quite a bit of time to think last night."

"Dad, I don't want Weevil following me anymore. I swear to you that I'm being careful."

"Veronica, you are never careful. I've already discussed this with Eli, he's not going to actually follow you any more, but he and his crew are going to continue to keep an eye on you while you are on campus."

"Dad--"

"Veronica, this is not negotiable. I believe someone targeted you. You've seen the letters; I let you see them because I wanted you to get scared, and be more cautious." He opens a drawer in the desk. "When you passed the P.I. exam and got your license, we talked about a gun. At that time, I thought it was safer for you not to carry one. But now you've have two summers of training at the FBI." He pulls out a Glock 19 pistol.

"Dad, a Glock 19! 9 millimeter semi-automatic, magazine capacity 15 rounds, slightly smaller than the Glock 17, making it perfect for a handbag; used by the FBI, the DEA and the NYPD. Oh, Dad, that's great," Veronica says happily.

"It's not great!! I'm scared, and I wish you were. We still have to take care of the Handgun Safety Certificate and I'd like to check you out on the firing range myself, make sure those FBI instructors knew what they were doing" _and see what that asshole Mike taught you,_ he adds to himself. He hands the gun to Veronica. "Let's see the safe handling demonstration."

Quoting from the manual she has memorized, Veronica performs the necessary steps to load and unload the gun. "One, push the magazine release. Two, remove the magazine. Three, insert the cartridges into the magazine. Four, insert the magazine firmly into the pistol. Five, pull the slide to the rear and release it. Six, move the safety to "ON". Now to unload: keep the gun pointed in the safest possible direction and keep your finger off the trigger. One, push the magazine release. Two, remove the magazine. Three, pull the slide to the rear and lock it back which should eject any cartridge in the chamber. The action is now open. Four, visually check the chamber to ensure it is empty. (3)"

"You memorized the manual?"

"Yep." Veronica doesn't tell her dad about the eyes-closed practice she did with Mike.

Keith asks, "And what is the most common mistake made when unloading a gun?"

"Daa-ad..." she rolls her eyes. Still quoting, she continues. "Do not assume a semiautomatic pistol is unloaded just because the magazine is removed from the handgun. Do not allow the slide to go forward unless you have: one, checked again to be sure the chamber is empty, and two, checked again to be sure the magazine has been removed. If you pull the slide back ejecting the cartridge, check the chamber, let the slide go forward, and then remove the magazine. You have a loaded, dangerous firearm when a cartridge is in the chamber even though you have removed the magazine. It is common and sometimes fatal to make this error. (3)"

Keith chuckles. "That's my girl. You still haven't gotten over that 95 score on that exam, have you?"

"Listen, Mister 97, I'm betting that there was some hinky business with the scoring on your exam."

"Hinky? I'll have you know my test was completely on the up-and-up."

Veronica smiles, "How's tomorrow morning to go to the firing range?"

"You got it, honey. Take the gun now anyways, I don't want anything happening to you in the meantime," Keith adds, more seriously.

Veronica carefully puts the gun in her purse.

"Knock, knock?" Chief Deputy Leo pokes his head around the corner.

Keith stands up. "Leo, come on in. What's up?"

Leo glances at Veronica, "Hey Veronica." He hesitates, looking at Keith, but Keith nods, and Leo sits down and begins to speak. "Uh, Veronica, did Keith tell you about the parking ticket, uh, problem?"

"You mean the department targeting me for selective parking enforcement? I'm aware," Veronica says sarcastically.

Keith says, "It's not just you, Veronica, it's also me, Wallace and your friend Mac."

Leo continues, "I've had a word with a few of the guys. I've quietly told most of them that I intend to run for sheriff, and I've hinted that this particular ticket quota might not look good on their records if Vinnie is not reelected. Even Vinnie's diehard supporters know that he's screwed up on a few high-profile cases, yours included. Even your enemies are pissed at Vinnie that he hasn't been able to get the indictment to stick on Veronica."

Veronica sucks in her breath. "Wait a second...You're running for sheriff?...There are people in the department who want me to be indicted?"

Leo clears his throat. "Yes, Veronica, I'm running. And a lot of people in the sheriff's department and the district attorney's office think you're a spoiled brat whose dad covered up for her, the same way Keith supposedly tried to cover up your boyfriend Duncan's murder of Lilly Kane by throwing suspicion on Jake Kane."

Veronica is shocked. _This is much worse than I thought, I HAVE to find the real killer or I really will be indicted again._

"Anyways," Leo continues, looking sympathetically at Veronica, "Even the worst holdouts agreed that a selective ticketing program might look bad for the prosecution if you were re-indicted. Vinnie was bitching about the quotas the other day, but it's not like he goes out to write tickets himself, so I think you can relax a little."

_Relax?_ Veronica thinks sarcastically.

"Keith, I also wanted to update you and get your input on the investigation of Wiedman's murder. I don't care what Vinnie says, I'm going to keep looking into it. If I can find the real murderer, it could win the election for me," Leo says determinedly. "Anyways, I interviewed the eyewitness again yesterday. Frank Pastorelli. He actually says he knows you."

Keith thinks a second, but draws a blank. Veronica walks over to the file cabinets and pulls a folder from the "P"s. "Dad, he hired you to check whether his wife was cheating on him."

Leo says, "He wasn't too happy with your services. Apparently, this was during your reelection campaign. Pastorelli said you found the evidence but didn't get back to him; in the meantime his wife took the kids and left, filing for divorce. He said he lost custody of the kids because you screwed up."

Keith remembers. "We were so backed up, the files were a mess. I didn't get a chance to call him for a week."

Leo continues, "I don't think it ultimately mattered, Pastorelli said something about the loser judge cutting his balls off because he hit his wife."

"Nice guy," Veronica comments.

"Pastorelli said he was buying beer in a bodega over on South St. He noticed the Lincoln town car because it was so much nicer than any other car around. Said the driver was a well-dressed black man. Pastorelli was probably already hitting the beer; he says he was hanging out in the bodega, just waiting to see if any of his buddies were around. Then he saw Lianne; he said she was completely drunk, "blotto" was the word he used. She came into the bodega and bought a six; when she went out, the black man got out of the car, and went up to her. Then the two of them got in the car. Pastorelli said he thought it was funny at the time because the man walked her over to the driver's side door, opened it; she got it and scooted over and then he got in. Pastorelli said he assumed the passenger door was broken; he said he laughed, thinking about rich people's problems with their fancy cars."

"And then she was found a couple blocks away on Beach Rd., with a bullet hole in her left temple," Keith says, looking at Veronica to see if she's alright hearing this.

"And the forensics showed that she had been pushed out of a car after she was shot," Leo says. "Pastorelli was picked up a couple weeks later on a assault complaint, and he told his story to try to get the charge reduced."

"Successfully, as I recall," Veronica says drily.

"Pastorelli said it was possible Wiedman was holding a gun to her side; he said he didn't think about it at the time, but he recognized Lianne's photo in the paper, and made the connection. He was able to give a good description of the driver. It wasn't released to the press, but we were also able to get a partial fingerprint off Lianne's body, and one of the possible matches from the AIFIS fingerprint database was Wiedman's old military records, and Pastorelli was able to i.d. Wiedman from the photo."

Veronica says, "The prosecution held back that little tidbit at my indictment."

Leo says, "That's not a surprise, they didn't need that information with the forensic evidence that they had on you, and you know that the prosecution never reveals anything they don't need to. Wiedman's fingerprint didn't matter; all the prosecution had to show was that you had a reasonable belief that he had killed your mother, and there was plenty of news coverage about the resulting manhunt. When Vinnie couldn't locate Wiedman right away, he thought the easiest way to find him was to release the information to the press with a reward for information."

Keith says disgustedly, "Never mind that that method puts innocent people at risk if Wiedman panics."

Leo shrugs. "Vinnie is lazy. Even though Pastorelli is not your friend, I tend to think that his witness testimony is reliable; I can't see him knowing enough about your family's connections with the Kanes to make a story like this up. So that means that Wiedman really did kill Lianne. Is there a connection there that I don't know about?"

Keith tells Leo about the photos Wiedman sent to Lianne four years earlier, featuring Veronica's face with a target. Leo looks confused, then Keith continues, saying that Wiedman was threatening Lianne not to reveal that Jake Kane was possibly Veronica's real father. Veronica adds, "But it really didn't make sense, because my mother was Jake's alibi for Lilly's murder as well; they might have needed her testimony."

Keith says, "Wiedman was involved somehow in the coverup of Lilly's murder; I was never sure exactly what he did, possibly lowered the temperature of body to confuse the timeline, possibly helped to clean the forensic evidence off Duncan and staged the crime scene to direct attention away from Duncan. We probably won't ever know now, the Kanes certainly aren't talking."

Leo, still confused, says, "I thought one of Duncan's hairs was found on the murder weapon."

Veronica says, angrily, "That bastard Aaron manipulated the evidence, I'm sure of it. It wouldn't be that hard to get a hair sample from Duncan. That jury was crazy, thinking that Duncan would go to the trouble of stealing Aaron's Oscar statuette in order to frame him, and that Duncan could kill his own sister."

Trying to calm her, Keith says, "Veronica, it doesn't do any good to get upset about all this old history..."

"Dad, I know that this is related somehow to something in the past. You said yourself that it feels personal."

The three are silent.

Veronica, still upset, stands up. "Dad, I have to get to class. Thanks for, you know, the little present you gave me. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Be careful, honey." After she leaves, Keith tells Leo, "I think you need to find out if the Kanes had a reason to silence Lianne. It could be something about Lilly's murder, or Jake's affair with Lianne, but it's definitely not anything to do with Veronica's paternity. Veronica is definitely my kid..."

Leo smiles.

"...And the Kanes know that we know. There is no secret to find out about her paternity. Stick to looking into Lilly's murder, Duncan's disappearance, and Jake and Lianne; if something is going on with the Kanes, that's what it would be."

As Leo leaves, Keith thinks, _I can trust him to look into this while I take a look at the Fitzpatricks. Leo's the best deputy I ever worked with, and he can get in to talk to the Kanes and I can't.  
_

* * *

3: http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/forms/pdf/hscsg.pdf 


	4. Chapter 16 to Chapter 20

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Eventual Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated.

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Secrets and Lies  
**Logan gets his charity off the ground; Wallace  
and Veronica get a new case; Veronica finds  
out some bad news about Mike.  
Logan: Jason Dohring. Cliff: Daran Norris.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Clemmons: Duane  
Daniels. Weevil: Francis Capra.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: "SECRETS AND LIES"

Logan shuts the door to Cliff's office and sits down.

"Right on time, Mr. Echolls. I have all your paperwork right here." Cliff hands Logan a thick file folder, which Logan begins to thumb through. "I have to say, this is a lot easier than defending you."

"It's a little bit easier for me too," Logan smiles.

"Are you sure about the anonymous donor clause? I've set up the holding corporation as you asked, but why wouldn't you want the world to know you're funding a charity. The battered wives shelter is a fantastic idea, and I'd think you could use the good publicity after everything that's happened."

Logan grimaces. "I think you're wrong about that. There's no such thing as good publicity. I'm trying to break free from the family name, in fact I've considered changing my name. I'm working hard at film school and the Echolls name may open some doors for me, but I'll never be taken seriously at whatever I do. Look at Kate Hudson and Angelina Jolie. The world may know about their famous parents, but I think they have more credibility by keeping that connection less obvious."

"I'm not sure Kate Hudson is credible," Cliff snorts. "You saw "You, Me and Dupree" right?"

"Okay, bad example. It doesn't matter, I'm not going to have this charity associated with Aaron. I know it's in my mother's memory, and that's all that counts," Logan says firmly.

Cliff shrugs. "You're the client. So, the property you scouted with Keith has been purchased and I've set up the foundation, which will be accepting donations and electing a board to run the day-to-day operations. Your seed money guarantees that 'The Bridge' will be solvent for at least one year, and I'm betting that there will no problem with fundraising in the future...All right, sign everywhere I've put the little 'sign here' post-its and we can move ahead. I've already spoken with the mayor; he'll be holding a press conference later this week announcing the foundation and cutting the ribbon at a groundbreaking ceremony. You know, politicians, they eat this stuff up, he'll have Neptune believing it was all his idea. Logan, please, only you can prevent that douchebag from getting the credit."

Logan shakes his head. "Absolutely not." He finishes signing the last contract, and pushes the folder back across the desk to Cliff.

"It's your call. I'll shoot you off an email advising you of the time of the press conference; I hope you'll at least watch the coverage of your largesse on the small screen."

"Sounds good. Thanks for everything." Logan holds out his hand, and they shake.

Logan leaves the office and drives over to Hearst. He usually avoids the campus, but he's in a great mood, and feels like hanging out with Dick awhile before heading back to L.A.

He drives onto Fraternity Row, a little lost in thought about his mother, when he is surprised by a knock on the window.

"Nice car," Weevil grins. He admires Logan's new SUV. "You know what they say BMW stands for, right? Big...Morning...Weiner." Weevil laughs.

"It's big all day, thanks very much. How's life on the straight and narrow going?" he answers, sardonically.

"Not so straight, but that's between you and me. Hey, have you talked to your girl Veronica lately?" Weevil asks.

"My girl? You are sadly out of date."

"Didn't you put up her bail? Two million for old times sake, I don't think so," Eli retorts.

Logan shrugs.

"Actually, I'm worried about her. Keith hired me to follow her and make sure she's okay, but she spotted me, and now Keith told me and my crew just to keep an eye out and not follow her anymore," Weevil continues. "Maybe if you talked to her...she doesn't seem to think she'll ever get hurt, and if Keith's worried, I'm worried."

"Little Miss Superhero, right?" Logan muses. "Would you still be willing to follow her around if I agreed to foot the bill?"

Weevil thinks, _damn, the boy has it bad, even after all this time._

Seeing Weevil's pitying look, Logan continues, lamely, "I just think it'd be cheaper in the long run than having to pay for her legal defense."

Weevil laughs. "Logan, she caught me. She'll cut off my balls and feed 'em to me if she catches me again. When she spotted me, she whipped out that taser and scared the shit out of me. And if she finds out that you paid me, she'll go ballistic. I'll never understand what the hell is wrong with you two, can't you just hold her down and fuck her silly until she behaves?"

"If only that had worked, my life would be so much simpler," Logan grins. "Okay, you're right, it's a bad idea, just...please keep an eye on her."

----------

Veronica has tried to call her mother's friend in El Paso, Rick Walters, at least ten times, and this morning she finally reaches him. "Mr. Walters, my name is Veronica Mars. I think you used to be friends with my mother, Lianne Reynolds."

"Veronica...I'm glad you called. I've been worried about your mother since the last time I saw her, she was a mess," Walters says.

"Well, Mr. Walters, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but my mother was shot and killed about five weeks ago," Veronica says hesitantly.

"Oh god! I should have insisted that she get help. She was completely stoned, and talking like a crazy person. She tried to borrow some money from me, said she was going to be alright in a few days, but just needed a couple hundred to tide her over," Walters explains. "I think she had a drug deal going on; she got a phone call while she was with me. She walked away, but I heard her saying something like, 'I'll have it on Wednesday, stop pressuring me. It's not easy to get it through border control, I have to be careful.'"

"You're right about the drug deal, she was arrested in El Paso and convicted on three counts of possession of Oxycontin, which is a Class B felony in your state. She called your old friend, Jake Kane, for help and he got her sentence reduced to a $10,000 fine and time served, about thirty days. She then had to enter a drug rehab program, which I'm betting Jake paid for also."

"This is all news to me. My wife was furious when Lianne showed up at our house. We have three kids, and Lianne was bad news; Debbie told me she had to go, and I have to say that I didn't argue. I'm sorry, Veronica, I should have done more."

Veronica sighs. "It's not your fault, she had been in rehab at least twice by then. It sounds like she was doing a lot more than drinking by the time you saw her."

"Definitely, she was in very bad shape. Veronica...do they know who shot your mother?"

Veronica says, "Yes, but they don't why, and her killer was killed himself not long after. They've accused me of being involved, and I'm attempting to find out more about the last year of Lianne's life to try to clear my own name."

Walters replies in shocked voice, "They can't think that you had anything to do with your mother's death! She thought the world of you. When I asked about you, she said that your were her greatest pride and her greatest regret."

Veronica is silent, thinking about Lianne's regrets.

Walters continues. "Veronica, I only saw her for a few minutes. We were really not that close. Have you talked to Adrianna and Patty?"

"Not yet. I hoped that you knew more about her arrest since it happened in El Paso."

"No, I didn't know about it at all. Veronica, I feel like I let Lianne down. Can I help you in any other way? I'd like to make up for sending Lianne away."

"Mr. Walters, if you think of anything else, or anyone who Lianne might have confided in, please let me know."

"Certainly," Walters replies. "Veronica, I'll contact you if I think of anything."

----------

At Mars Investigations, Wallace settles in for his afternoon shift manning the front office. Keith is locked in his office with a client, so Wallace busies himself by looking up a few cases in the office computer and adding some notes to his list. He's more certain than ever that the nasty anonymous letters are related to Keith's novel, 'Neptune Undercover', and he's worried that they have something to do with Lianne's and Wiedman's murders. Wallace organizes his thoughts to show to Keith.

"Neptune Undercover". . . Keyword(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Real life. . .. . . . .  
Max Evans . . . . . . . . . . . . .domestic abuse/pre-nup. . . . . . . . . . . .Daniel Etheridge  
Michael Guerin . . . . . . . . .adultery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Bray  
Maria de Luca . . . . . . . . . .shoplifting/credit card theft . . . . . . . . . .Cathy Belben  
Alex Whitman. . . . . . . . . . .solicitation/male prostitute . . . . . . . . . .Richard Rosenthal  
Tess Harding . . . . . . . . . . .adultery/juvenile record-solicitation . .DeeDee Bradley  
Kyle Valenti . . . . . . . . . . . .paternity test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Moskin  
Jesse Ramirez . . . . . . . . . personal injury fraud/PCH gang . . . . . Nick Gomez

Wallace thinks to himself, that's a pretty good list of possibilities. The intercom buzzes and Wallace picks up the phone. "Hey Keith."

"Wallace, come on in, there's someone here who wants to see you about a case," Keith replies.

_See me?...About a case? _Wallace pumps his fist, _Yes!!_, and walks into Keith's office. His jaw drops. "Principal Clemmons?" he says, weakly.

"Mr. Fennel, it's nice to see you've made something of yourself. I've followed your basketball career as well," Clemmons says, attempting, but not achieving, a hearty cheerfulness.

Keith says, "Sit down, Wallace. Mr. Clemmons has a proposal that involves you and Veronica."

Mr. Clemmons explains. "We have a problem at Neptune High. Someone has been manipulating grades. Not just changing records in the school computer system, but they are also providing copies of exams to whole classes, ruining science experiments, erasing attendance records online, generally wreaking havoc. At this point, the class rank is so muddled we have no idea who belongs on the dean's list. At first, we thought it was a few isolated incidents, but as more and more things happened, the vice principal and I have decided that this is an organized effort."

"To do what? What reason would someone have to create chaos?" Wallace says, doubtfully.

Keith says, "Mr. Clemmons believes it's worth looking into, to see if it can be stopped. He's had three computer security firms work on the school system, improving firewalls and general security, but whoever's behind this seems to be able to defeat any upgrades."

Mr. Clemmons continues, "Of course, my first thought was that somehow Veronica Mars was involved, but I realized that was ridiculous." He attempts a laugh. "Then I thought, why not get Veronica Mars involved, she's the only one I know that could think like these villains."

Wallace starts, "So you want me and Veronica to..."

Mr. Clemmons says, "I want you to go undercover at Neptune High to figure out what's going on. As transfer students."

Wallace looks at Keith, who raises his eyebrows, signaling 'Why not'. Wallace thinks, _well, I've been asking for more responsibility._ "Okay, I'm in...as long as Veronica is willing. We all know she's the brains and I'm the sidekick."

After Mr. Clemmons finishes making financial arrangements with Keith and leaves, Wallace says, "Keith, I want to show you what I've been working on." He hands over the list that correlates the fictional characters to Keith's actual clients.

Keith studies the list. "Wallace, this is fantastic, you've put a lot of work into this. But I'm telling you, these are very tenuous connections."

"I don't know, there's gotta be somethin' to those letters."

Keith nods in agreement. "I'll look up these cases and see if I can find anything out. I don't want you to go off on your own talking to these people, it might be dangerous."

"Don't worry, Keith, I'm not Veronica," Wallace replies. "In the meantime, can I run a full background check on each one?"

"Sounds like a plan, Wallace."

----------

In their dorm room, Mac is showing Veronica a mockup of their website. "I'm thinking 'TruthInDating dot com' or maybe 'Verity dot com'.

"I don't know, we can come up with a better name. Let's try it out, I want to see if it works," Veronica says. "I'm going to put in Mike's information to do a test."

"You know his social security number?" Mac says, surprised.

"It's easy enough to get," Veronica says. She opens a new browser window, accessing the PryingEyez database, and typing in a few fields, she obtains the number.

"Now that's really scary," Mac says.

Veronica clicks back to their new website. She types in the social security number and hits enter. The website flashes 'PROCESSING' with a progress bar showing time remaining.

After a few seconds, the results are displayed on-screen.

Veronica reads, "Credit check-no bankruptcies, no liens, no outstanding judgments. Criminal record check-no criminal proceedings, no convictions, no outstanding warrants. Marital status---"

Veronica and Mac are stunned. At the same time, they look at each other and say, "Married?"

Mac says, "Wait, Veronica, did you know this?"

Veronica, white as a ghost, switches windows and goes back to the PryingEyez database. She types in some more information, and reads aloud, "'Separation agreement filed, Oct. 2007.' But there's no divorce record, he's technically still married."

"So he's separated?"

Veronica inputs the name of Mike's wife. She says, grimly, "No, he's married. His wife's legal residence is the same address as Mike's. They must have gotten back together."

Mac hugs Veronica, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry. There must be an explanation. Maybe the information is out of date. You should call him."

Veronica says, "No, I think it's accurate...that's why I only have his cell phone number. And that's why he didn't want me to come visit him. "

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Mask  
**Veronica and Keith go to a shooting range;  
Veronica follows the mysterious stranger;  
Veronica reaches out to Logan.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Logan: Jason Dohring. Blond Stranger: Chris  
Carmack.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: "MASK"

At the El Cajon Gun Exchange and Firing Range, the man behind the counter says, "Hey Veronica, long time no see!"

Veronica flushes as Keith looks at her questioningly. Veronica says, "Mike and I may have come here a few times."

Behind the counter, the man laughs. "At least five times, by my count. Where's Mike today?"

"He won't be joining us," Veronica answers. _Not today, not ever again,_ she thinks. "Billy, this is my dad. We need to get a Handgun Safety Certificate. I'm prepared  
to do the safe handling demonstration."

Billy says, "I see. Does that mean you'll be purchasing a handgun today?"

Keith says, "No, I'll be transferring ownership of one of mine."

"You're a P.I. as well, right? I couldn't believe it when Veronica showed me her license," Billy says admiringly. "But you can be proud of her, she can really shoot."

_Will this day ever end? _Veronica thinks.

"I really wasn't aware that Veronica had continued to practice her marksmanship after she returned home from her FBI internship," Keith says. "But I'm not surprised that she shoots well. It's in her genes." He beams at Veronica, enjoying her embarrassment.

"Dad, please...have pity."

They take care of the paperwork and shoot rounds until Keith is sure that Veronica is comfortable with the weapon. He hugs her, saying, "Veronica, don't make me regret this. A handgun is as serious as it gets, and you are my only daughter, I can't replace you. If you're in trouble, you call 911, and then me, and then, only if you have to, you draw your weapon and remember your training. And we are going to be practicing together, every week."

----------

Jake Kane says, "Deputy D'Amato, what can we do for you?" He sits on the couch with Celeste, holding her hand.

Leo clears his throat. "I'm sorry to bring this up again. I know you spoke to Sheriff Van Lowe a while ago, but I'm just clearing up some loose ends in the Wiedman murder case."

Celeste says, "It was such a shock; we were never close but he had worked for the family for years."

"When was the last time you spoke to Mr. Wiedman?" Leo asks.

"Well, you know that we terminated his employment six months ago," Jake says.

"Why was Mr. Wiedman terminated, if you don't mind my asking?"

"The primary reason was the break-in at our house. I'm sure you're aware that Keith Mars' daughter stole a computer hard drive."

Leo says, "Yes, that was quite prominently discussed before the last sheriff election. But you didn't pursue charges against her."

Celeste says quickly, "The girl is very misguided, she believes that we blame her in some way for our daughter's death. It's really quite sad, and we hoped that the publicity in this incident would force her to seek professional help."

Leo snorts internally. _Professional help, I don't think so._

Jake continues, "Still, Mr. Wiedman failed to protect our security, and we began to believe that he was not the right person for the job, and eventually, we felt we had to let him go."

Leo asks, "You say, 'our security'. I was under the impression that you and Mrs. Kane were separated at the time of that incident."

Celeste replies, "Yes, but my husband and I maintained an amicable relationship, and he consulted me on this decision."

Leo thinks, _Good recovery._ He says, "Did you have any contact with Lianne Mars recently?"

Jake can't help it, he looks at Celeste for a moment. "Deputy D'Amato, that's quite a sore topic for us."

Leo shrugs. "It can't be helped, Mrs. Mars' life seems to be involved with Mr. Weidman's, and we need to ask these questions. I've recently been made aware that Mr. Weidman sent threatening photos to Lianne Mars after your daughter's death."

Celeste says, heatedly, "I suppose Keith Mars told you that? Sending those photos was Mr. Weidman's idea, and he sent them without consulting my husband or me. It was completely ridiculous; as much as I hate to talk about it, Lianne was my husband's alibi for my daughter's murder and we couldn't afford to alienate the bitch."

Leo raises his eyebrows. _Temper, temper!_ "But of course, it came out later that the original timeline for your daughter's murder was incorrect, and Lianne actually couldn't alibi your husband."

Jake and Celeste are silent. Finally Jake says, "You've done quite a bit of research, Deputy."

Leo presses on. "When is the last time you had any contact with Lianne Mars, Mr. Kane?"

Jake rubs his forehead and says, "Lianne was arrested for drug possession with intent to distribute in Texas about a year ago. She called me for help. I agreed to help if she would agree to never contact me again. Celeste and I had begun to talk about a reconciliation, and I was determined to make it work. We are trying to negotiate an amnesty for our son, Duncan, and that's our priority. I flew down to El Paso, and found an excellent attorney for Lianne. He was able to get her conviction reduced to possession and negotiated a lesser sentence, a fine, time served and mandatory commitment to rehab. I paid her fine, found her a well-regarded rehab program, paid for it, and asked Lianne to never contact anyone in my family again. She almost destroyed my marriage and I hoped to never hear her name again."

"And did you ever hear from her again?" Leo asks.

"Never," Jake says vehemently. Leo looks at Celeste, who shakes her head no.

Leo continues, "It's been suggested that you hired Mr. Wiedman to kill Lianne, and then you covered it up by killing him. That Lianne was threatening you in some way, perhaps blackmailing you."

Jake stands up, furious. "Mr. D'Amato, I'd like you to leave. If you have any actual evidence, I suggest you contact my attorney, and we can continue this discussion at that time."

Leo thinks, _Bulls-eye.  
_  
----------

Keith and Veronica return to Mars Investigations. Wallace, waiting impatiently for them, jumps up and says, "It's about time. What took you so long?"

Veronica rolls her eyes. "Daddy-daughter time."

Keith laughs. "Don't listen to her. I could hardly tear her away, she loves shooting." He goes in his office and shuts the door.

"You know you can't bring that gun with you when we go undercover, right?" Wallace reminds her.

"I was planning on leaving it in my glove compartment. Okay, are you ready to go shopping?" Veronica answers.

Wallace and Veronica hit the mall. They think it's a remote chance that someone will recognize them at Neptune High, but since it's Clemmons' dime, they decide they might as well do it in disguise. Because of the computer hacking, they decide that geek is the way to go. Wallace gets a new short hair cut and they pick out a couple button-down shirts at Sears and nerd glasses at Lenscrafters. For Veronica, they decide that she should go brunette, and she gets her hair dyed at The Upper Cut. Veronica decides to keep her costume simple, to avoid attracting attention; she has plenty of sweatpants and slogan-printed T-shirts that will fit right in.

----------

After Veronica drops off Wallace, she decides to take advantage of her new look, and takes a detour to Pemberton Estates, where the Kanes live.

Just before she reaches the security booth, she sees two cars stopped, with their occupants conversing through the driver's side windows. One driver is Celeste Kane, the other is a young blond man who Veronica doesn't know. She realizes that she has seen him before, in the parking lot of her apartment, when she and Mac went to the Outer Limits Motel. Celeste and the young man finish their discussion. Driving off, he doesn't look happy at all; Celeste guns her car, and speeds into Pemberton Estates, barely waving at the security guard.

Veronica decides to follow up on this opportunity; she quickly turns into a side street, pulls a K-turn and, staying well back, she follows the blond man.

They proceed downtown; Veronica is able to keep one or two cars between her and the stranger but as they approach a more congested area, the car in front of her suddenly turns, and in the heavier traffic she has no choice but to fall in directly behind the blond man.

She sees him looking in his rearview mirror. "Shit!" she says. She pulls out her cell, dialing her father. No answer. She tries Weevil.

"Yo?"

"Weevil, where are you?"

"I'm on campus, where do you think? Some of us work for a living."

Veronica snarks, "It's about time. Seriously, Weevil, I'm following this guy and I think he spotted me. Can you drive over to Center St.? I want you to try to pick him up and see where he goes. He's got something to do with the Kanes."

"I thought you were supposed to be leaving the investigating to your dad."

"Weevil, can you help me or not?"

"All right, all right, you don't have to use your mistress of evil voice. I'll call you back when I'm close by." He hangs up.

Veronica drums her fingers on the steering wheel, then she fumbles in the glove compartment for a piece of paper and pencil. She writes down the license plate; she's pretty sure it's a rental car, but maybe they can trace it anyway.

Just before the light changes, the blond man hits the gas, changing to the left lane before she can react. He pulls into a parking garage while she screams in frustration, unable to change lanes amid the other honking cars. She pulls off to the right, and, as soon as possible, does a u-turn and follows into the garage even though she knows it's hopeless. As she turns the corner, she sees that there's an exit onto the next street. She pulls up to the guard at the exit booth. "Did a Ford Mustang Sedan just leave here?"

"Yeah, the guy was nuts, he threw the ticket and a twenty-dollar bill at me. It's only seven dollars for the first half hour," the guard says.

"Which way did he go?"

"What's it to you?" the guard leers at her.

"That's my husband, he just cleaned out our joint banking account," she makes up quickly.

"Too bad, you're cute. He turned right, and then he turned left onto Maple St.," the guard says. "Forget about him, I'll take care of you, baby."

"Thanks anyways." She pulls out into traffic, knowing it's hopeless. She turns onto Maple St., sees that the freeway entrance is right there and decides to pursue this lead some other way. She calls Weevil back. "Forget it, he's gone."

"You know, I can't just jump every time you need me. Goddamnit, Veronica, you're outta control."

"I know, I know. Weevil, I appreciate it." She hangs up, thinking, _This is turning into a really long day._

Veronica heads back to campus. She doesn't think she can face the stares and insults in the hostile Hearst Food Court, so she picks up a burger to eat in her room.

----------

Logan sees the caller id on his phone and frowns. He flips it open and says "Hello?" but there's no one there. He shrugs and puts the phone down, turns on the tv and flops onto the couch.

About a minute later, the phone rings again. Quickly turning off the tv, he grabs the phone again, saying, "Hello, Veronica."

There is silence, but she doesn't hang up this time. Finally, she says, "Hello, Logan."

Logan says quietly, "You didn't get arrested again, did you? That putz Vinnie is just asking for a lawsuit..."

"No, Logan, no...everything's fine."

He thinks, _it doesn't sound fine._

"Logan, I'm just calling to make sure you got my check. And I wanted to make sure that you knew that I'm going to be sending more money as soon as I can," Veronica says, the last part coming out in a rush.

"Veronica, I'm not worried. I'm glad I could help when you needed it."

"I wasn't very nice to you...I don't--I don't know why I was such a bitch."

Logan knows, _something happened with Mike._ He doesn't say anything and lets her continue.

She pauses, then, obviously changing the topic. "How's school going? Dick told me last year that you were at the film school. Are you studying acting?"

"I've taken some acting classes, but this year I'm taking classes in writing and directing, and I think I like it a lot better."

"That's great. I bet you're really good at it too."

"Veronica, are you sure everything's okay?"

"It's been hard at school, people are gossiping about me and saying that I got away with murder. You remember what that feels like. I just felt like calling and...I--I just wanted to talk to someone who doesn't think I'm a killer."

Logan rubs his forehead. He remembers how it feels, but he doesn't how to help.

Veronica continues, "It's not a big deal, I just--I meant it when I said I hoped we could be friends again someday."

"I hope so too," Logan echoes. "Veronica, I'll give you a call the next time I'm in Neptune and we'll get a cup of coffee, okay? And don't worry so much about the money. I know you'll pay me back."

"Okay...bye, Logan." They disconnect, and Logan tries to decide if he's glad she called.

Veronica thinks, _You're an idiot, Veronica. Why did you call him?_

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Never Been Kissed  
**Veronica and Wallace undercover at Neptune  
High; Veronica spies on the Kanes; Logan and  
Dick make plans.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Wallace: Percy Daggs III.  
Logan: Jason Dohring. Dick: Ryan Hansen.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: "NEVER BEEN KISSED"

"It's ginktage," Veronica says.

"What the hell is ginktage?" Wallace says.

"Vintage geek, I can't believe you've never heard of that."

Wallace rolls his eyes. "Okay, ginktage. I still think the shirt is stupid." He looks at her t-shirt, which reads 'WIINAGE'.

"It's perfect, it screams 'nerd alert', and besides, I love the subtle reference to 'weenie'," Veronica explains.

"It's pretty subtle," Wallace replies. "In fact, it's so subtle that no one will talk to you the first day. I, on the other hand, look pitifully intelligent. If there's a computer hacker at Neptune High, they'll recognize my kindred spirit immediately. It's so sad when the padawan apprentice surpasses the jedi mistress."

"Yes, Urkel," Veronica snarks. She's a little worried they've overdone the costumes. They have a 7:30 a.m. appointment in Clemmons' office. She yawns, thinking wistfully of her 9:00 a.m. first class at Hearst. "I can't believe we used to get up this early every day."

"I still do. Some of us participate in sports. Maybe if you found an outlet, you wouldn't get in so much trouble," Wallace snipes.

They enter the familiar Neptune High hallway. Spirit posters decorate the walls. Lockers are clanging, kids are screaming. "I can't believe how loud it is," Veronica remarks. She smiles, as they pass the girls' bathroom, saying, "My old office."

They enter Clemmons' office. Wallace says to the aide on duty, "Hi, I'm Marcos Seiga, I'm a new transfer student."

Veronica chimes in, "I'm Tricia Brock, I'm supposed to report to the principal's office." Hearing her nasal inflection, Wallace nudges her with his elbow. Veronica continues, "I need to see the nurse too, I have a prescription for my sinuses."

When the office aide turns away, Wallace whispers, "You're not even taking this seriously!"

She whispers back, "It gives me an excuse to come to the office every day, idiot."

The aide turns back, and says, "Go on in, the principal said he can give you the official Pirate Welcome together."

"The principal said 'Pirate Welcome'?" Veronica asks.

"No, but you know, he's a real douche. Enjoy Neptune High." The aide laughs and turns back to the attendance sheets.

They walk into Clemmons' office. "You might consider upgrading the training program for your office aides," Veronica says as she drops into a chair.

"What?...I never did know what you were talking about. Okay, do you have any other questions?" Clemmons says, slightly confused.

"Just one," Veronica answers. She grabs his stapler, and checking the bottom, finds that Clemmons still keeps his passwords taped to it. "Well, I think we know how the hackers got into the system. I thought I told you to quit doing this." She waves the stapler in Clemmons' face.

Clemmons' face reddens and he grabs the stapler from her. "Well, unless you told someone about it, there shouldn't have been a problem."

Veronica and Wallace look at each other. "How about you at least put your new passwords in your wallet, if you can't memorize them?" Wallace finally says. "Seriously, all the office aides knew about the stapler when I worked here."

"In fact, why don't you make up a fake password, and put it on the stapler. Then have your tech guy set up a trace for the IP address of anyone who logs in with it," Veronica adds.

"I'm not completely clueless, you know. Our computer consultant told us that only school computers were used to access the secure grading files, so it could have been any student," Clemmons says defensively.

"Or any teacher or employee," Wallace adds.

"Don't waste your time looking at teachers," Clemmons sputters.

"All right, all right. Why don't you have Mr. Snarktastic at the desk out there give us a school tour?" Veronica says.

"What...oh, the aide. All right." He punches the intercom button and says, "Jason, get in here...Jason Elen, this is Marcos Seiga and Tricia Brock. They're new transfer students. Can you show them around the school, please. Enjoy your first day, kids."

As Jason leads them out of the office, Veronica catches Clemmons hefting the stapler, thoughtfully.

----------

At lunch, Wallace shouts out to Veronica. "Hey new girl, do you want to get a table?"

Veronica smiles and nods her head at their old table, which sits empty in the middle of the outdoor courtyard. They sit. A emo-looking girl with black hair and several obvious piercings comes up and says, "Listen, I know you guys are new, so you don't know. But you don't want to sit there."

"What?" Wallace says.

"It's like, a shrine. A few years ago there was a girl at this school. She's famous, not just here at the school. Veronica something. Anyways, this chick, she nailed this dude for offing his underage girlfriend, and then later, she figured out who crashed a school bus with a whole bunch of kids onboard. There was something about helping another student flee from the feds with his love child. And she like had all these love affairs, no one could keep track who she was sleeping with. Look..." She points at the table, where someone has scratched 'Free Veronica Mars'. "That was her name, Veronica Mars, and this was her table."

"Really...that's pretty interesting," Wallace says. "What about her friends, she must have had somebody that helped her, or at least somebody to confide in?"

"No, I don't think so. She was a real loner."

"A loner, huh?" Wallace says sarcastically.

Veronica says quickly, "I bet she had a secret team working to help her."

"Maybe..." the girl says. "Just don't sit there, people will be pissed." She walks away.

Wallace and Veronica find another table. "Okay, this blows. You're famous, and my contributions have been totally forgotten," Wallace gripes. "What about me taking out Lucky? If there's going to be a legend at Neptune High, that should be it. I mean, it actually happened on the school grounds, with witnesses."

"I'm sure that there's an urban legend about the great Wallace too," Veronica laughs. "Okay, have you found out anything?"

Wallace leans in. "There's a website, 'AmokTime dot com'. Everybody seems to log on to it all the time. The webmaster posts all sorts of crazy shit, things like exams the night before the test; sometimes he asks for a volunteer to make a bomb threat at a specific time or suggests that someone substitute one chemical for another in a science class experiment. Apparently, there was a call for a boycott of the student election and the voting for the king and queen at the homecoming dance. I heard that today he suggested that people should take down the spirit posters. One of the cheerleaders was crying in my English class."

"Yeah, I saw kids taking them down, and I wondered what was up," Veronica says. "It's like he's advocating the complete breakdown of school society. No rules, no student government..."

"No grades, because all the tests have been tainted. And no fun either, I heard some of the jocks talking that the guy has suggested throwing games too. A bunch of kids have quit their teams, it's really sad."

"It's anarchy. People were refusing to participate in French class. They just sat there for the entire period; I thought Madame Rousseau was going to "pleurer". I'll give Mac a call to see if she can get the IP information on the 'AmokTime' website. In the meantime, I put a camera in the teachers' lounge to see if I can figure out how the tests are being leaked," Veronica continues. "I have a fake doctor's appointment this afternoon, because I have a class at Hearst I absolutely can't skip. By tomorrow, I'm hoping to have some information to take to Clemmons."

"Yeah, let's wrap this up pronto, high school is giving me the creeps the second time around..." Wallace sees her expression. "Okay, it gave me the creeps the first time around too. I still shiver when I walk past the flagpole."

They agree to meet up in the morning.

----------

VERONICA

I didn't tell Wallace the whole truth. I did have a class I couldn't skip, but now I'm determined to get into the Kane mansion. It would be a shame to waste this disguise.

In case the blond man told the Kanes about my car, I've switched cars with my dad. I told him that I was worried about the starter and he said, sure, no problem, and offered to drop it off at the mechanic for me. Just another little lie to add to all the big ones I've told him.

I make it past the guard booth no problem. I've decided that daylight hours are safest; no one suspects anything during the day. And my last nighttime visit was a disaster. Armed with a multitude of cleaning products and a housekeeper's uniform, I tell the security guard that I'm a substitute for the regular cleaning lady at the Kanes' next door neighbor, Mr. DVR, Walt Harvey. By the way, thanks again, Walt, for taking such pretty pictures of me in my blue sweater.

I park my car in between the Kanes' and the Harveys' property. I've decided the frontal assault is best, and carrying my bucket, I approach the Kanes. I ring the bell at the outer gate, and wait for a reply.

"Yes?" comes the disembodied voice.

In my thickest Russian accent, I say, "I am Ludmilla. I am taking for regular maid of next house, Meester Harvey. They are no home, and I no find supplies for doing of the laundry. Can you help? I am sorry to bother."

A few seconds later, I am startled when the gate flies open. A uniformed security guard smirks at me and says, "Ms. Mars. It's so nice to see your cute little face in person. You see, I've been looking at your photo every day for almost a year and a half. I don't think the brown hair suits you, though. I'm sorry to say that I've had a few fantasies about you. You do wear a thong, right?"

I try to backpedal. "I no understand, who is Mars? I try the other side, is okay."

The security guard puts two fingers in his mouth and whistles loudly. Two Dobermans run up, panting. "Sit!! Well, Veronica, I'd like to introduce you to Hans and Fritz. Mr. Kane thought they'd be a good addition to the security team. You should know that all the guards here have your face memorized. We've been told it's cause for automatic dismissal if you get onto the property. And there's a bonus if we catch you trying. I'm really happy to meet you today, because that's an extra grand in my paycheck this week. Lick your lips and smile pretty for the camera, darling. I'll keep a few stills for my collection." He laughs as I walk away, my face completely flaming.

The Kanes really do hate me.

----------

"Hey Dick," Logan says, speaking in his cellphone.

"Whassup, dude? I don't understand why you didn't stick around the other day. We got totally crunked that night. You don't have to worry about running into Veronica, she never shows at Pi Sig parties, says we're a bunch of pigs."

"You ARE a bunch of pigs."

"Proud of it."

"Are you up for a little road trip to TJ this weekend?" Logan asks.

"Wait, you haven't been interested in TJ in forever. Somethin's up."

"I've left five messages for Carrie and she hasn't called me back. She's blowing me off. I just want to get out of town for the weekend," Logan says.

"Dude, what'd you do? That chick was totally into you."

Logan is truly confused. "I don't think I did anything. I think she just flaked. I'm not going to call her again; after five messages, you're just a stalker."

"Whatever, dude, we'll hook you up with some skanky TJ bagina. Sweet! It's been like, forever. I didn't want to say anything, but Carrie was seriously cramping your style. Come down to Neptune Beach on Friday afternoon, we'll do a little hardcore shredding. The Delta Tau fuckwits are going to have a major kegger that night, it's gonna be a total pussyfest. Then we'll head down to TJ the next day," Dick says, stoked that his old wingman is back in action.

"I knew I could count on you, Dick. I'll see you Friday around 2:00."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Look Who's Talking  
**Mac and Dick meet and make plans; Wallace  
and Veronica wrap up the Neptune High case;  
at the kegger, Logan and Veronica really talk.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Vinnie Van Lowe:  
Ken Marino. Celeste Kane: Lisa Thornhill.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER NINETEEN: "LOOK WHO'S TALKING"

Mac is hurrying to class. _Shit! I can't be late again. The professor is a total jerk._

All of sudden, Dick Casablancas grabs her and prevents her from leaving.

"Let go, Dick, I'm already late for class."

"Come on, blow it off, I bet you know more than the professor does anyways," Dick smiles at her. "I wanted to ask you something."

"All right, but hurry it up," Mac says impatiently.

"I was wondering if you and Veronica were maybe going to go to the Delta Tau kegger on Friday," Dick says.

Mac raises her eyebrows. "What--are you going to ask me to go steady?" She laughs at him. "Veronica and I don't go to a lot of frat parties, you know."

"It's just, well..."

"Spit it out, Dick."

Dick says, "Logan and I are going. It's over between him and Carrie. I'm sorta worried about him."

Mac thinks, _Dick Casablancas, matchmaker._ Then she thinks about Veronica finding out that Mike is married. "I can't promise, but I'll see if I can get her over there. She could use a little fun. What's in it for me?"

"Well, baby, I'm always up for a little action with the Mackinator," he wiggles his eyebrows at her, and she laughs at his stupid joke. "Seriously, Mac, I had a great time in Vegas. I'm not a total doofus, you know."

"You just play one on TV, right? I gotta get to class, all right? We'll try to make it," Mac promises. She is surprised to realize that she's looking forward to Friday.

----------

VERONICA

Something's been nagging at me since Wallace mentioned Lucky. I haven't thought about it for a long time, but I remember now that the Mannings bailed out Lucky. What's the connection? I know that Lucky went to the same church as the Mannings and they tried to set him up with Meg, but paying his bail still seems awfully generous, especially for such a rigid person like Stewart Manning.

----------

Veronica hurries out of her dorm, rushing to meet Wallace at Neptune High by 7:00 a.m. She finds a ticket on her car, looks around and sees Sheriff Vinnie Van Lowe leaning on a lamppost.

"Well, is it awfully early, or awfully late? All I know is I don't expect to see our esteemed sheriff up and about at this hour," Veronica smirks.

"You're pretty full of yourself, considering you just got a parking ticket," Vinnie replies.

"I'm not too worried; you haven't been at the sheriff business long. I'm betting I can find a reason to get it dismissed. After all, I got seven of the eight tickets you already wrote dismissed." She smiles, tilting her head.

"Nope, I don't think so. The district attorney had a little seminar on proper ticket-writing down at the station just the other day. It seems he was a little concerned about the number of tickets that were being dismissed, so we've tightened up procedure a bit."

Veronica says, "It's about time you got your shit together."

"Such a pretty mouth, and such foul language. You have a nice day, Veronica. I'm looking forward to the day when I arrest you again for Wiedman's murder. Really, I understand why you'd shoot the guy; I'd want to kill the guy that murdered my mommy," Vinnie turns and walks away whistling.

Veronica, furious, grabs the ticket off her windshield, jumps in the car, and takes off, tires squealing. Vinnie salutes her as she drives past.

----------

"Whoa, too much coffee this morning, Mars?" Wallace says as she walks up to him agitatedly outside Neptune High.

"No, I got another parking ticket, this time delivered personally by our lovable sheriff, who made a point of taunting me," Veronica replies, gritting her teeth.

"Try to focus, V. I want to solve this case and get the frak out of here."

The Battlestar Galactica reference has its intended effect; she smiles, wanly, and they walk toward the school.

Veronica says, "Mac looked into the IP address of the AmokTime website; she said it's routed through a Russian webserver and she can't find out where it originates. Whoever set it up is really good; Mac was impressed."

"Well, we knew that; Clemmons had some serious geek talent working on the school's computer system, and they weren't able to keep it secure," Wallace says.

"Let's hope that we get something from the camera in the teacher's lounge. There was a new exam posted this morning on the website."

With Wallace acting as lookout, Veronica retrieves the camera, and they retreat to the library to look at the footage. They see the American History teacher, Mr. Jordan, photocopying his exam, at time stamp 4:35 p.m. At 7:18 p.m., they see a student enter the lounge, looking around. The student punches a code into the copy machine, and it prints a copy of the exam.

Wallace looks puzzled. "What did we just see?"

"I think somebody reprogrammed the xerox machine so that it always stores a copy of the last job run. They enter a code, and the machine gives them a copy of everything that was xeroxed," Veronica says slowly. "It's actually genius, I wish I had thought of it." She slows the footage down, finds a shot that shows the face of the perpetrator and enlarges it onscreen. "Do you know who this is?"

"No, but I bet Clemmons does." They pack up the laptop and head for Clemmons' office.

Jason is on office aide duty again. "Yo, slackers, second day, and you're at the principal's office?"

Veronica says, "Can you tell him we need to see him?"

Jason calls in to Clemmons; hearing Clemmons' response, Jason shrugs "okay" and motions them to go ahead.

They tell Clemmons about the website that has been creating anarchy at the school; then they show Clemmons the footage from the teachers' lounge, and he recognizes the student, who is paged to the office.

"Mr. Smith, I'd like to introduce you to Veronica Mars and Wallace Fennel. Veronica, Wallace, this is Russell Smith. Russell, do you know why we asked you to come in?" Mr. Clemmons says unctuously.

When he hears the name 'Veronica Mars', Russell turns white as a ghost. Veronica thinks, _There really is a legend of Veronica Mars_. She looks over at Wallace and they bump knuckles, unobtrusively.

"Russell, I have to tell you I'm impressed," Veronica begins. She turns the laptop screen to face Russell and runs the footage for him. "I was just telling Wallace that your idea to reprogram the school photocopy machine was genius. And my computer consultant tells me your website skills are equally impressive."

"Do you want to tell us why you're trying to create anarchy at Neptune High?" Principal Clemmons says, angrily.

"It's an experiment," Russell answers. "It's my project for the Siemens Westinghouse Science Award. For the first year, they're offering an award in the social sciences, and I designed a project to research the psychological effects of a complete breakdown in the social structure."

Wallace and Veronica glance at each other, surprised.

"You're telling me this is for the Westinghouse scholarship program? You have to have a faculty advisor for that," Clemmons says.

"Yeah, Mrs. Armand is my advisor."

Veronica muffles a laugh. Mrs. Armand, the Latin teacher, is at least eighty, and should have retired twenty years ago. She wouldn't know a webpage if it bit her on the ass.

Clemmons clears his throat. "Mrs. Armand is clearly not an appropriate advisor for a project like this. We're going to have to get the police involved, breaking into the school's secure webserver is certainly a felony." He reaches for the phone.

"Wait!" Russell says. "I can put it all back, everything I changed was archived offsite and everyone can get their grades back. I always planned to do that, after I observed for a while."

"It might be easier than trying to reconstruct it," Veronica points out. "Surely you can find community service projects for our diabolical genius. He can start by improving the security on the school's server."

"Your parents will have to be informed, you'll have to shut down the website immediately, and you'll also pay all the expenses we've incurred, including our investigators' fees. And the scholarship program is out of the question. I'll discuss the idea of restitution with the vice-principal. In the meantime, I'll have your parents pick you up, Mr. Smith. You're suspended, indefinitely. Wait outside, please." Clemmons says, severely. Russell leaves, dejectedly.

"He does seem like the kind of evil mastermind you would want on your side, not working against you," Veronica comments.

"Sort of like a former student we know, right?" Clemmons says, sarcastically. "Thanks for your help, Wallace, Veronica; it seemed just like old times." He shows them out of the office.

Wallace says, "Let's get the hell outta here."

----------

At the kegger, Logan and Dick notice Mac walking in with a brunette girl. "That's Veronica, they're up to something as usual," Logan says.

"Come on, let's say hi." Dick pulls Logan over to the girls.

"Nice hair," Logan teases.

"It's actually the only reason I was able to get her to come out," Mac says. "Says she doesn't get as many people gossiping about her since they don't recognize her as a brunette."

"I'm right here you know," Veronica snaps. "I can speak for myself. Yes, life sucks a little bit less right now with brown hair."

"I'm glad you guys came," Dick says. "Hold on, I'll get us some beers." Mac goes with him.

"So you get to pretend to be a different girl tonight," Logan says. "That must be nice."

"I don't know about nice. It makes me think that I should try to start over."

"Okay...Hello there, stranger. It's nice to meet you, my name's Logan."

"Hello, I'm Veronica, I'm perfectly normal and quite a catch."

"Normal," Logan snorts.

Mac and Dick return with four beers. Seeing that Logan and Veronica are getting along, Dick motions with his head that he and Mac should go over to the dance floor, and they leave Logan and Veronica to their conversation.

"Yes, I'm perfectly normal," Veronica says.

Logan says, "I think that hair dye affected your brain, Veronica."

She starts to giggle. "You know, I'm glad Mac talked me into coming. I needed to just relax."

"You know the two of them cooked up this plot to get us talking," Logan says. "Dick wanted me to have fun tonight too."

"Maybe I've been wrong about him."

"No, you're not wrong, Dick can be a dick, but he's been a good friend to me too. His life hasn't always been easy the last couple years, you know. He went through some real shit when his dad went to prison. And he's never really gotten over Cassidy either. He won't talk about it much, but I know he feels guilty about the way he treated Beaver. And the truth is that I'm the one who should really feel guilty. It's my fault that Cassidy went over the edge."

"Logan, no," she says, "there wasn't any way you could have prevented him--"

"No," he insists, "I should have been able to talk him out of it, but I was just so mad and scared and...angry and relieved that you were okay that I couldn't think what to say to stop him from jumping."

He pauses. "Even after all that, Dick has always been there for me; he's the only one that I can really count on to drop everything if I need him."

Veronica blushes, embarrassed.

Logan says, "Hey...that wasn't a dig. It's just...the truth, okay? He's my friend. He's all I have left."

After a minute, he gestures toward Dick and Mac dancing and continues. "They're cute together. You should have seen them dancing in Las Vegas. Dick talked for a week about her blonde wig."

"She didn't really tell me much about that weekend."

"We all just hung out, it was fun. Almost like the old days, before Lilly..."

"Yeah, before Lilly," she echoes. Looking over at Dick and Mac, she says, "I guess opposites attract, huh?"

"Huh?...oh you mean Dick and Mac."

"Who did you think I meant?" she asks curiously.

He doesn't answer. Veronica wonders if he's referring to them. Then she thinks about Mike. _Why DIDN'T I ever check him out? I wouldn't have given Logan the free pass._

As if he's reading her thoughts, Logan says, "What happened to the FBI guy?"

Veronica jumps a little, and looks over at him. "It just didn't work out."

Logan says, "Good...Did you ever figure out why he wouldn't give you an alibi? I always thought the weed excuse was really weak."

She is pissed, but tries to hold back. "First of all, how did you hear about that? Second, let's just not talk about it."

"If it didn't work out, why can't you talk about it? He was being a jerk." Logan is getting angry.

"Listen, asshat, you didn't BUY me when you bailed me out. I don't have to answer to you."

"Well, well, Ms. Hypocrite. So I had to explain a rebound fling with Madison to you but you get a free pass when your life's on the line?"

When she hears him say 'free pass', she knows he's reading her mind. "It's completely different, and I can't believe you won't let it go," Veronica says bitterly.

Logan says, "One...two...three...four...five..."

"Why the hell are you counting?"

"I'm trying to count to ten, so I don't call you a bi--" He stops himself, shaking with the effort. Breathing heavily, he glares at her, furious.

Veronica stares back, shocked. She looks around, sees a bench and walks over. Dropping heavily onto the bench, she sits with her head down and her arms across her chest, holding herself. Slowly, Logan follows. He stands in front of her, putting his hands in his pockets, not knowing what to do or say; finally he mumbles, "I'm sorry...I don't think you're a bitch." He tentatively sits down, with just a little distance between them.

She says, "I didn't know he was...married. How did you know?"

Logan replies, "The attorneys told me that's probably why he didn't give you an alibi."

"But I know it was my idea...to keep him out of it."

"Yeah, but he didn't overrule you, and he should have."

They are silent. Logan continues, quietly, "Veronica, I know I'm not allowed to worry about you, but I do."

She says, despondently, "Logan, someone hates me enough to frame me for murder. They plotted this, they spent time thinking how to hurt me."

After a minute, Veronica adds quietly, "You're allowed to worry about me." She unfolds her arms and reaches for Logan's hand.

Logan takes her hand, cautiously, and strokes it with the pad of his thumb. He tries to lighten her mood a little. "It's a big job, I might need assistants."

Smiling just a bit, she motions with her head toward the keg, where Mac and Dick are standing, looking over to Veronica and Logan with concerned expressions. "They're over there."

"Let's get over there before they send in reinforcements," Logan says.

They stand up and Logan releases her hand. She grabs his hand again and they walk over to Mac and Dick.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**What Lies Beneath  
**Veronica stakes out Pemberton Estates and  
has an idea; Logan's charity is announced; Mac  
has lunch with her bio-mom; Keith works the  
case with Leo's help.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Ellen Sinclair: Bridget Hoffman. Leo: Max  
Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWENTY: "WHAT LIES BENEATH"

Early Monday morning, Veronica parks her car just outside the guard house to Pemberton Estates. At a loss for how to proceed against the Kanes when the security detail is so vigilant, she has decided to just stake out the property, and see if she has any brilliant ideas.

For several hours, she snaps photos with her telephoto lens camera; she documents Masters-of-the-Universe types heading for bond-trading jobs and board meetings; she sees nannies arrive, and shortly thereafter trophy wives leave for tennis lessons and spa appointments.

At 8:45 a.m., she sees something that makes her sit up. A truck with the name 'GreeneScapes' is waved through the guard booth without a second look. Under 'GreeneScapes', she reads the slogan: 'Landscaping and Property Beautification'. In the rear are gardening supplies and tools; in the truck cab she sees several young Mexican men and one familiar face.

_Billy Greene, PCHer._

She thinks for a few minutes. She heads back to campus and goes to her morning classes. At 11:30 a.m., she quietly exits the back of the lecture hall, gets her car and heads downtown, parking a short distance away from the Sheriff's department. She watches the department building through her telephoto lens until she sees Inga, Keith's old secretary, and now Vinnie's, leaving the building for lunch.

She grabs her cellphone, and, imitating Inga's thick Teutonic accent, dials the Building and Zoning Department phone number that she has preprogrammed into her iPhone. "Ja, Betsy, eet's Inga...Can you do me beeg favor, Veennie ees upset with me, I should haf called first theeng. I need blueprints for the Kane house, een Pemberton, ees verrry important, he needs right a-vay. My new asseestant, she hass the brown hair, glasses, ja? She vill pick up, in about feefteen meenutes...Ach, du lieber, you don't know vat an ass he ees." Veronica, hangs up, chuckling.

After fifteen minutes, Veronica puts on a pair of mousy-looking glasses, ties her hair into a ponytail, and goes into an adjacent building. She introduces herself as Inga's new assistant, and picks up the blueprints, thankful she hasn't had a chance to change back her hair color yet. _Maybe I should stay brunette._

She hits speed-dial eight on her phone, and Weevil answers, "Yo, Veronica, are you tailing someone again? Cuz, I gotta tell ya, I am not interested in being your personal Vic Mackey."

"I'm thinking more Ponch from CHiPs. I had an idea how you can make it up to me for taking Dad's job as my booty-guard without letting me know," Veronica says slyly.

"Booty-guard? I don't think you got any the whole time I was watching you," he snorts.

"Don't remind me...Weevil, are you still friends with Billy Greene?"

Weevil replies, "I'm not sure we're friends, but we're okay. What crackhead scheme are you thinking of now?"

"I'd like you to work for one day with the Greene family's landscaping service and plant a bug in Jake Kane's home office."

"Oh, because all the brown men look alike, and we're so good at yard work."

"No, because I trust you," Veronica says.

"Bull, Veronica."

"Okay, it's true, you fit the profile of a typical employee. Can you talk to Billy and see if he can put you on the job for a day? I'll make it worth your while. Five hundred dollars to see how much worse your job could be." Veronica is glad that the website 'YourCheatingHeart dot com' has started to show a significant profit for her and Mac.

"Pretty important to you?" Weevil asks.

"Yes...and I've been doing some additional research to help you. It should be in and out, low risk," she says hopefully.

"All right, chica, I'm in," Weevil agrees, reluctantly.

----------

Mac walks into the coffee shop. Once a month, every month since she turned eighteen, she has met her biological mother for lunch at this coffee shop. At first, it was very strained and difficult, but now they have settled into a pattern of telling each other about their lives: just normal stuff, that you'd want to tell your mother or daughter. Mac doesn't ever ask Mrs. Sinclair if she regrets not switching the two daughters, and her bio-mom never brings it up either. They're just happy to have this short time together once a month.

After they are seated and have ordered, Mac says, "Ellen, is everything okay?" She sees that Mrs. Sinclair has dark circles under her eyes.

Ellen stirs her coffee and sighs. "I'm so worried about Lauren, I think she's anorexic."

"Anorexic?" Mac asks. She thinks, _Bio-sis is about the last person in the world to care about being fat._

"I know, it doesn't make sense, but she's stopped eating, and I think she's not sleeping well at night. She also doesn't seem interested in any of the computer sites that she used to obsess about."

Mac suggests, "She's a teenager, a freshman in high school, maybe she has a crush on a new guy. Or maybe a boyfriend that you don't know about dumped her."

"I don't think that's it, Cindy. This is not just your average teenager crisis; I should know, I went through everything with Madison," Ellen Sinclair says, wryly.

Mac smiles at her bio-mom, she has a pretty good idea of the trouble that Madison got into in high school. "Would it be okay if I talked to her? You've told me that she's not close to Madison, maybe she needs a big-sister type to talk to. We just need an excuse to get together." Mac and Mrs. Sinclair agreed at the very beginning of their relationship that Lauren didn't need to know that Madison wasn't her real sister, and that Mac was.

"Maybe you could help me with a computer problem, and then offer to give her a ride to school, or something," Mrs. Sinclair suggests.

They arrange to meet at the Sinclairs' the next day after school, when Mac can offer to give Lauren a ride to the library.

----------

Logan, who's been crashing at Dick's frat house since Saturday, turns on the television.

On-screen, the mayor of Neptune appears on a podium for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. On the dais sit local dignitaries and prominent residents, including Sheriff Van Lowe, Cliff McCormack and Jake Kane. There's a large banner behind them, reading, 'The Bridge - A Safe Haven for the Victims of Domestic Abuse'. The mayor begins to speak, in a pompous voice. "I am very pleased to announce a very generous donation to the town of Neptune to create a shelter for battered spouses and their children. The anonymous donor has purchased a building and has completely funded the first year's operations. A board of trustees has been formed, with myself as president, and we will be seeking donations from corporate entities to assure that this noble project will continue into the future."

Dick says, "What a tool that guy is...Since when are you interested in the local news?"

Logan shuts the television off. "I'm not, I was just bored."

----------

At Mars Investigations, Keith watches the news conference while catching up on paperwork. Logan's generosity surprised him at first, but as he helped Logan anonymously purchase the property for the shelter, he realized that Logan was taking steps to get beyond the abuse he suffered at his father's hands, and to move into the next stage of his life. He's proud of Logan, and this emotion surprises him. He's not sure why Logan has insisted that Keith keep his donation a secret from his daughter, but he's agreed to comply with Logan's request.

The phone rings; turning off the television he answers it. "Colm, I'm glad to hear from you...What have you been able to learn for me? Are the Fitzpatricks gunning for me and my daughter?...Never mind why I thought they would be, are you sure that no one's interested?...What about Father Patrick?...Well, I guess this is good news; if you stop by later, I have the cash I promised you." He hangs up, pensive.

He picks up the phone again and dials Deputy Leo. Leo tells him about his interview with the Kanes and about Lianne's arrest and conviction in El Paso, and her involuntary commitment to a rehab facility just outside of Tucson.

"Leo, I've been working on some other leads." Keith explains about the threatening letters. "There's nothing too promising as yet, and I'm not even sure there's a connection. I think it's a long shot but my assistant seems to think it's a possibility. So I need to know exactly what kind of timeframe the crime scene people came up with for Wiedman's murder; at Veronica's indictment, they mentioned 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evening as the presumed time of death. How certain is that timing?"

Leo answers, "Best guess is 7:00. But they said anytime from 5:00 to 9:00 was a possibility, because Wiedman was found in an air-conditioned hotel room, and it can affect body temperature. Keith, you need to be careful. Those letters you mentioned? Somebody really hates you."

They hang up, and Keith thinks about Lianne being convicted for drug possession. He's glad and sorrowful all at once that she didn't contact him for help when she needed it. Keith wonders if there's any information from the trial that might be useful, and turning to the computer, he pulls up 'Court Records Online', the website that Mars Investigations always uses for legal records. He puts in a request for Lianne's trial transcript, and pulls out his wallet to input his credit card number to pay for it. When he turns back to the screen, he's surprised to see a pop-up window saying, "This order was already processed. Do you wish to download the file again?" He clicks on 'yes', thinking, _dammit, Veronica has already been looking into this._

He dials Veronica's cell, and leaves her a message. "Hi, honey, hope you're doing okay. You know part of our deal with me pulling Eli off guard duty is that you check in with me more often. I need to talk with you about something else as well; call me as soon as you get this message. Love ya." He hangs up, trying to remain calm about his daughter's latest lie by omission.


	5. Chapter 21 to Chapter 25

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Eventual Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

**WARNING: Piz makes an appearance in these chapters (NOT Pizonica). If you hate him, don't read it.**  
Me personally, I like Chris Lowell, and thought his comedic talents were wasted on season 3. I'm happy for the actor that he's got an easy gig now where he probably makes ten times the money he made at the CW. So there's a slight crossover to 'Private Practice'. I wrote most of this fic in August, so it's based on the Dell character we saw in the Grey's Anatomy episode, not the Dell we're seeing now ('gynergy'? Seriously? _Seriously?_ Poor Chris.) The Piz character is not greatly significant to my story, you can skim this section if necessary. If you're curious about the references to surfing in my story, go to YouTube and look up Chris Lowell / Grey's Anatomy, that's all you really need to know.

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated.

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Sister Act  
**Mac helps her bio-sis; Keith discovers a  
connection between an old case and the  
Fitzpatricks; Veronica coaches Weevil.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Lauren Sinclair: Carlie Westermann.  
Madison: Amanda Noret. Ellen Sinclair:  
Bridget Hoffman. Weevil: Francis Capra.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Cliff: Daran Norris.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: "SISTER ACT"

Madison Sinclair flings open the front door of the Sinclair home. "Who the hell invited you?" she snarls at Mac.

"Good to see you too, how's USC? Still haven't figured out laundry, huh?" Mac snipes back, thinking, _Payback, bitch._

"Huh? You and your white trash friend Veronica still don't make any sense," Madison sneers.

Ellen Sinclair hurries to the foyer. "Madison! Where are your manners? Cindy is here to help me with my computer virus."

Mac says, sweetly, "Oh, Madison and I were just teasing. It's great to catch up with you, Maddie, maybe I'll see you in Aspen one of these days," she adds, just sarcastically enough that Madison gets it.

"Ri-ight," Madison says. "See ya later, Mom." She leaves the house and gets in her red Mercedes. She starts the car and takes off, tires screeching.

"Oh, that girl will be the death of me," Ellen says wearily. "I really do have a computer virus, do you think you can fix it for me?"

"It's no problem, Ellen," Mac smiles. "I'm happy to help. When will Lauren be home?"

"In about fifteen minutes."

"Perfect."

Mac settles in at Ellen's computer, and proceeds to take care of Mrs. Sinclair's virus problem, sighing at Ellen's lack of expertise. She walks into the hallway, saying, "Ellen, I've loaded a new anti-virus program, but you really can't rely on it completely; you have to update it every so often." She stops, shocked, when she sees Lauren. Lauren is very thin, about one hundred pounds, and looks lifeless. "It's Lauren, right? Do you remember me? From a long time ago? We met during Madison's birthday party, you were reading 'The Westing Game'. My name's Mac."

"Hey, Mac, I remember you. What are you doing here? Madison's not here," Lauren says, quietly.

Mac quickly explains, "I ran into your mother; she remembered I do some computer consulting work and she asked me to look at her computer virus problem. Is your machine okay?"

Lauren shrugs. "I haven't really used it much lately, I think it's okay."

Mac is a little surprised; from what Mrs. Sinclair has said in the past, Mac knows that Lauren used to play online role-playing games and enjoyed posting in some online communities. Mac lets the subject drop and turns to Ellen. "Well, Mrs. Sinclair, I think you're all set. I'm going to be going now."

"Actually, Cindy, I mean, Mac, can you do me another huge favor?" Mrs. Sinclair glances at Lauren, who is oblivious to her mom's slip-up. "I have so much work to catch up on now that my computer's fixed; could you possibly drop off Lauren at the library?"

"Sure, Mrs. Sinclair. Are you ready to go now, Lauren?"

Lauren says, "Whatever." She grabs her book bag and heads for the front door.

Mac follows her. She waves goodbye at Ellen, and mouths "Don't worry" behind Lauren.

----------

Keith looks over Wallace's suspect list again.

"Neptune Undercover". . . Keyword(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Real life. . .. . . . .  
Max Evans . . . . . . . . . . . . .domestic abuse/pre-nup. . . . . . . . . . . .Daniel Etheridge  
Michael Guerin . . . . . . . . .adultery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Bray  
Maria de Luca . . . . . . . . . .shoplifting/credit card theft . . . . . . . . . .Cathy Belben  
Alex Whitman. . . . . . . . . . .solicitation/male prostitute . . . . . . . . . .Richard Rosenthal  
Tess Harding . . . . . . . . . . .adultery/juvenile record-solicitation . .DeeDee Bradley  
Kyle Valenti . . . . . . . . . . . .paternity test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Moskin  
Jesse Ramirez . . . . . . . . . personal injury fraud/PCH gang . . . . . Nick Gomez

Over the years as the sheriff and as a private investigator, Keith has investigated hundreds of cases. The majority are a blur of background checks, late-night stakeouts, and methodical data searches. But one name from Wallace's list sticks out: Kevin Bray. Keith is fairly certain that he remembers a connection to the Fitzpatricks from his days on the force.

He pulls Bray's file from the dead case filing cabinet. Mrs. Bray, nee Colleen McDonough, hired him to provide evidence that Kevin was cheating; it was a straightforward case--Kevin Bray was caught in flagrante at Neptune's infamous Camelot Motel, and Keith was able to provide Colleen with photos and credit card receipts for champagne and lingerie purchased by Bray for his assignation. Classy. Keith shakes his head. On the PryingEyez database, he runs a check on Colleen McDonough Bray, and as he thought he remembered, she turns out to be Liam Fitzpatrick's wife's first cousin. He frowns when he sees that Colleen and Kevin are still married. Running Kevin Bray's record, he reads that Bray is on permanent disability for a knee injury; he checks Bray's criminal record and discovers that ten years earlier, he arrested Bray for receiving stolen goods. The charge was dismissed, and Cliff McCormack is listed as attorney-of-record.

Keith calls Cliff to see if he remembers Bray. Cliff says heartily, "Why, Mr. Bray is one of Neptune's finest citizens. It was a pleasure to defend someone who had such an extensive array of friends willing to testify that he was anywhere except the location in question."

"The Fitzpatrick type of friends?" Keith asks.

"Certainly. Indubitably the finest type of friends, when you are seeking an alibi."

"Yes, I see. What do you know about Mr. Bray's disability?"

Cliff clears his throat. "Off the record, I presume?"

"Yes, Cliff, we're actually not even speaking right now."

"I believe that Mrs. Bray's cousin's husband Liam may have broken Kevin's knee with a baseball bat. However, the official story was an automobile accident; Kevin sued the other driver and won a substantial settlement, since he is permanently disabled," Cliff relates. "As the attorney-of-record for Mr. Bray's lawsuit, I was able to persuade myself that Kevin's injuries could have been sustained in the accident, and I was therefore able to represent him in his cause of action, for which, by the way, I received a not insubstantial percentage."

"I suppose Liam also received a substantial percentage?" Keith asks.

"I have no knowledge of my client's finances subsequent to our lawsuit."

Keith says, "I hope you'll always be on my legal team, Cliff."

Cliff replies, "That's my preference as well, Keith."

Keith hangs up and thinks about Bray's expertise vis-à-vis alibis.

----------

Veronica hands Weevil a T9 audio surveillance bug. "This itty-bitty thing?" Weevil say scornfully.

"Yes, Weevil, you'd be surprised what I've been able to accomplish with such a itty-bitty thing. You can put it anywhere you think it won't be noticed. I'm assuming I can trust you to be smart about it?"

Weevil nods.

Veronica opens a folder containing the plans for the Kane mansion. "Here's an entrance that should be perfect. Jake's office is right here," she points on the map, "so you can get in and out quickly."

"What if someone sees me?" he asks.

"The Kanes are supposed to be in San Jose at a technology conference. Jake Kane is the keynote speaker and Celeste is hosting a cocktail party, so you shouldn't run into anyone except staff. Do you remember the cover story?" Veronica asks.

"Yeah, if anyone asks what I'm doing, use my best beaner accent, and say I'm looking for a first-aid kit, one of the guys on the crew got a bad cut. It's a little weak, Veronica."

"Remember, I'm going to create a diversion at 10:45 a.m.; no one's going to be paying any attention when Veronica Mars is throwing a hissy fit at the security booth...Eli, I appreciate you doing this." Veronica hands Weevil five crisp hundreds.

He tucks the bills away, saying, "I ought to get extra for shaving."

"I always wanted to see what you were hiding under that 'stache," Veronica coos.

Weevil strokes his upper lip, thinking _I already regret this._

----------

On the way to the library with her bio-sister, Mac tries to get Lauren to open up, "So, freshman year? Do you have Mr. Pinkman for English? He's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I guess," Lauren answers dispiritedly.

"Do you have a MySpace page? I'd like to check it out, if you don't mind." Mac is getting desperate, _What the hell is going on with this kid?_

All of a sudden, Lauren breaks into tears, sobbing her eyes out. Mac pulls the car over, and rubs Lauren's back, saying, "Hey, hey, it's alright. What's wrong?"

Between hiccuping sobs, Lauren tells Mac that several of her classmates have posted a fake MySpace page for her, and have created a webpage that purports to be Lauren blogging about her sexual encounters with older men. The ringleader of the cyberbullies, Holly Merriman, has sent threatening emails to Lauren that if she tells anyone, she'll send faked pictures of Lauren performing blowjobs to Mrs. Sinclair and everyone at school.

"Oh my god, that's awful. Lauren, honey, how long has this been going on?"

Lauren admits that the cyberbullying started about six months ago, and has only gotten worse. "Everyone at school has seen the website. Do you know what slut-sneezing is?"

Mac admits that she does.

Lauren continues, "I have no friends anymore, the girls who weren't involved don't want to be seen talking to me in case they get targeted." She tries to swallow her tears, looks at Mac and says, "You're the only one I've told. I don't know what to do. I've decided to ask my mother about transferring to another school."

Mac is furious. "That's ridiculous, you shouldn't have to run away." She thinks a minute. "Do you know where Holly lives?"

Lauren starts to cry again. "Of course...she was my best friend before this started, I don't why she did this to me."

"Probably just because she could," Mac says grimly. "Let's go pay her a visit."

"I don't want to see her!! Mac, no!"

"Don't worry, Lauren, we're not going to actually see her, I just want to see if I can hack into her computer."

Following Lauren's directions, Mac drives to the Merriman house and parks one house down. She opens her laptop, seeking a Wi-Fi signal. "Lauren, you're not going to believe this. The Merriman's wireless network isn't even password-protected. In this day and age of unscrupulous hackers, too!" She glances at Lauren, and is relieved to see a small smile. "Lauren, you better scooch down on the seat, in case Holly walks by. Don't worry...this is going to be too easy."

In a matter of minutes, Mac has accessed Holly's computer and obtained evidence that Holly set up the fake MySpace account and webpage. She sends copies of the evidence to Holly's parents and to Lauren, saying, "You never know, you might need to have this evidence." She checks out Holly's browser history, finding that Holly has been frequenting a lot of hardcore sites; she emails a copy of the browser history too. Then she closes out the MySpace account, and uploads a Trojan Horse virus to the vile blogging webpage. She then creates an email, purporting to be from Holly, and sends it to everyone in Holly's address book: "I apologize for every mean thing I ever said about Lauren Sinclair. She was my best friend and I was jealous of her and everything I said about her was a lie. I hope that she can forgive me someday." As a final touch, she changes the desktop photo on Holly's computer to a graphic saying 'Cyberbullies suck! Mess with me again and you'll be sorry.'

"Okay, I think that will do it. Now, I want you to promise me that if it doesn't get better at school right away that you'll call me for help. I can do a lot worse to Holly, but let's see if what I did helps first. And now I think we should celebrate...let's get some ice cream." Mac smiles at Lauren, who looks relieved and hopeful.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**V for Vendetta  
**Weevil plants a bug; Keith talks to Bray;  
Wallace makes weekend plans with an old  
friend; and (uh-oh) Veronica and Logan spar.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Weevil: Francis Capra.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Piz: Chris Lowell.  
Bray: Mark Sheppard. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: "V FOR VENDETTA"

Veronica waits in her Saturn just outside Pemberton Estates. She smooths her newly blonde-again hair, checking her reflections. Today, she wants to be completely recognizable. At 10:30 a.m., she drives up to the security booth. Former Deputy Gills smirks at her. "Ms. Mars, do you have legitimate business in Pemberton Estates?"

"I'd like to see Mr. Kane, please. And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

"And I'm not going to bother the Kanes. Move along, or do I have to call your daddy?" Gills says, meanly.

"My daddy?" Veronica jumps out of the car, slamming the door. "You've got a lot of balls, Gills. Do the fine residents of Pemberton Estates know that you were fired for failing to confiscate fake ids at the college bars? Or that you were sued for negligence by the parents of Jimmy Wilson?" Cupping her hands like a megaphone, she continues, screaming toward the houses within the enclave. "Hey, everybody, do you know what a putz this guy is?" Addressing Gills, she says, "Now, if you want me to shut up, you're going to let me in to talk to Jake Kane. I know he's involved in Clarence Wiedman's murder, and I'm going to prove it."

"The Marses, on a crazy crusade yet again! How many times does your dad have to get kicked out of office before you psychos learn to--hey, what the hell are you doing?"

Veronica reaches in to the guard shack and grabs the master list of phone numbers. "I'm going to call each house and tell them the sordid details of your dismissal from the Sheriff's department." She pulls out her iPhone and dials the first number on the list.

Gills, seeing that the situation has spiraled out of his control, calls for help. "Yo, Frank, can you send some guys down here? That bitch Veronica Mars is out here again, can you help me get rid of her?"

Veronica hears guys laughing on the other end of the walkie-talkie. "We'll be right there, I can't believe you can't handle a little girl, you pussy."

Veronica continues to raise a fuss. Gills tries to wrestle her iPhone out of her hands. Two men pull up in a security van, screeching to a halt. One is the same man who taunted her a few days ago.

"Let go of my phone! You have no right to take my phone!" Veronica is screaming at the top of her lungs, tussling with Gills.

After about ten minutes of dramatics, Veronica allows the guards to "force" her back into her car and then escort her from the premises. As she leaves, she blows a kiss to Gills, saying, "I'll be seeing you, darling."

"In hell, bitch." Gills and the two guards from the Kane estate watch to make sure she leaves. Veronica smiles as she drives back to Hearst College.

----------

On the Kane property, Weevil, newly clean-shaven and wearing a bandana over his bald pate, cautiously enters the house through the back door Veronica showed him. No one seems to be around; two of the security guards have just left for the main gate, just as Veronica had predicted, and the other two cover the entrance to the house. He quietly shuts the door and glances around. _So far, so good. I may let Veronica live after all._ He finds the office door, right where Veronica said it would be, and goes in. He looks around for a suitable place to hide the bug; he rejects a few locations Veronica suggested and settles on tucking it behind the frame of a particular ugly oil portrait of Lilly Kane. _Rich people, can't just take a snapshot,_ he muses. Weevil can't resist thinking, _Let's just take a second to see if there's any cash stashed in the desk_.

He pulls out some drawers, cautiously rifling around in the desk, making sure to replace everything exactly as he finds it. He doesn't find any cash, but he finds a checkbook; curious, he looks at the checks and sees that they are marked "Conothan Enterprises". He inspects the previous check stubs, which list running balances in the hundreds of thousands. _I bet my girl Veronica will want to know about that. _He decides he better get out while I can, and closes the desk drawer.

He exits the office, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Can I help you?" says a calm voice to his rear.

Weevil keeps calm; Veronica told him to try to sound like a beaner, but Weevil thinks, _Fuck that._ He says, "I'm looking for a first aid kit, one of the guys got a pretty bad cut, and the guards are not around. Do you know where the Kanes keep their Band-Aids?" He looks at the blond man, who stares at him impassively.

Weevil is positive he's never seen this guy before, but he sure doesn't look like the help. He looks like he should be out surfing with Logan and the other '09er rich kids, or on a television show with beautiful babes hanging off him.

"There's some sort of problem at the main gate. If you'll follow me, I'm pretty sure Mrs. Kane has some Band-Aids and other supplies in the kitchen," the blond man says.

Weevil plays it up a little. "Please don't tell the boss I came in the house, I just started on the job and I can't get fired." He doesn't see the blond man roll his eyes. They enter the kitchen, Weevil gets his Band-Aids and returns outside to the landscaping crew.

The blond man picks up a phone and calls the main gate. "Gills, what's all the commotion out there?...Really...Thanks for taking care of it...No, that's okay, I'll let the Kanes know when they come back to town."

----------

Keith pounds on the screen door of a shabby house in the run-down section of town. "Open up, Bray, I want to talk to you."

An unshaven man, potbellied, wearing a wife-beater shirt, limps to the door. "Keith Mars, I don't know how to tell you this, but you're not the sheriff anymore. So fuck off." He turns back inside.

Keith pulls open the screen door and follows him in. "Hope you don't mind if I invite myself in. You don't seem to be too glad to see me, Bray."

"You're trespassing, Mars. Get out, or I'll call the new sheriff. Gee, that has a nice ring to it," he sneers.

"Just want to talk a bit. Wondering how life's treating you these days." Keith holds his palms up, indicating he's not there to hurt Bray.

"How do you think, you prick? When Liam saw those photos you gave my wife, he did this." He points to his knee. "Said 'you'll never run around on Colleen again' and laughed that crazy laugh of his."

"Yet somehow you hooked up a nice insurance settlement," Keith comments.

"Liam got it all put in Colleen's name, said if I ever messed up again, he'd do the other knee, and then cut my dick off."

"Little bit of a temper problem, huh?" Keith says.

"What the hell do you want, Mars?" Bray spits out.

"I'm just wondering if someone hates me enough to set up my daughter for murder. You wouldn't happen to remember where you were the night Clarence Wiedman was shot?"

Bray replies, "Who the hell knows."

"It was a Saturday night, October 4th. Early evening, sometime between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m." Keith presses.

"Well, that's easy. Saturdays I play pool and get drunk off my ass at the River Stix. Probably fifty people saw me. I won't even need to make up an alibi this time," he snorts. "'Sides, I wouldn't bother with your cute little daughter, I'd just shoot your butt-ugly face. Then maybe I'd mess with your daughter," he leers.

"Don't forget what Liam said. I'll just reinforce it a little, keep the hell away from my daughter." Keith leaves, allowing the screen door to bang hard on the way out. He almost bumps into Father Patrick Fitzpatrick, who's stepping onto the dilapidated porch.

"Why, former Sheriff Mars, what brings you to our part of town?" the priest says.

"Just renewing an old acquaintance. How's salvation these days, Father? Have you managed to keep any of your brothers out of the slammer?" Keith says, slightly sarcastically.

"Well, you know, Keith, it's hard when there's so much temptation around. The wicked run the world, you know."

"Actually, I don't know."

"Keith, you're not a religious man, are you? I read in the papers about the troubles your daughter's been having. Have you considered perhaps renewing your relationship with God?" Father Patrick says. "The doors of St. Mary's are open to you and yours anytime you feel a spiritual need."

"Do you have a Saturday evening mass, by any chance, Father?" Keith asks.

"Well, we have a five p.m.; you might not believe it, but it's a very popular mass around here. I'm afraid some of the local gentlemen come to mass and then raise a bit of hell afterward in the local bars," the priest answers.

"I'll bet," Keith comments, thinking that Patrick Fitzpatrick could easily get to the motel where Wiedman was found by 7:15 at the latest after the 5:00 mass. "I might check out your mass this Sunday; what's the sermon by the way?"

"Oh, that's wonderful to hear, Keith. We don't get many '09ers down this way. Your struggles with your career and your daughter can be an inspiration to others. Forgive and forget, as they say, and the Lord shall redeem you. The sermon this week is on the sacrificial lamb, by the way, one of my favorite topics."

"I look forward to hearing you speak on Sunday." As Keith walks away, he wonders if that was another threat. He thinks again about how many of Patrick's brothers he's sent to prison, and how Cormac died in the desert that day. And that Liam still thinks that Keith has his money. _I should have told Kendall to go screw.  
_  
----------

The blond man goes in Jake Kane's office. He searches the entire office and finally finds the small audio transmitter behind the picture frame. Nothing else seems to have been disturbed. He tosses the bug up and down a few times, thinking.

----------

Wallace's phone vibrates. "Yo," he says.

"It's Piz, what's happening?" says the familiar voice of Wallace's ex-roommate, Stosh Piznarski.

"You know, the usual, school, work, b-ball, and the finest booty available in Neptune. Not necessarily in that order, of course. How's UCLA?"

"School's great. The radio show has really started to take off. And you know that I started surfing last year? It's totally awesome, I go to the Venice Breakwater almost every afternoon now," Piz says.

"Every afternoon? I thought you were working three days a week." Wallace asks.

Piz has a part-time job working at a medical clinic. He answers, "I go on my lunch hour, we're right at the beach. You know, at first, they didn't like me changing into my trunks at the office. But then, all of a sudden, my boss was cool about it. They're all really nice; Naomi and Violet always make a point of saying goodbye to me every afternoon when I head out."

"Huh. That's funny. Doesn't sound like any boss I ever had." Wallace comments.

"I know, it's the best job I ever had. Naomi's so beautiful," Piz adds, dreamily. "And, they hired a new lady gynecologist who is really hot--red hair, legs that don't quit. Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to come up for a visit, one of the docs had some extra tickets for a Laker exhibition game."

"You know I'm gonna hit that!" Wallace and Piz agree to meet up that weekend.

----------

On her cell, Veronica says, "Hey it's me."

At his Venice beach house, Logan sits sprawled on the couch, enjoying the view, with his course books and laptop opened. "Hey, Veronica."

"What's going on?"

"Well, believe it or not, I'm working on my assignment for Screenwriting Fundamentals," he says.

"Screenwriting? You're really doing this, aren't you?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Veronica. I'm working on being less frivolous."

She remembers the bitter conversation with Piz and Logan and resists the temptation to snap back, _you're the one who said you were frivolous, not me_. "Are you writing a script?"

"This semester it's short writing assignments; next semester I'll have to write a complete script," he explains. "It's kicking my butt, I wish I'd paid more attention in high school."

"Will you let me read what you write?"

Logan smiles. "Maybe. I might have to edit some of the porno out, it's definitely rated X. You know about my tendencies."

"I think you should leave the smut in, it's my favorite." She giggles. They left on okay terms after the kegger the other night, and it feels good.

"What about you, have you caught up on your school work?"

"Ye-es, mostly. Wallace and I had a case at Neptune High that took some time, but it was so fun." She tells Logan about the case, and about the legend of Veronica Mars and Wallace's reaction.

"Well, Veronica, it's true that you were the caped crusader during our formative years...Are you being careful, Veronica? I'm worried about the real murderer still being free. I don't like thinking about someone framing you."

"Logan, please don't worry."

"You didn't really answer my question."

"You know I'm not going to sit around wondering when Vinnie's going to rearrest me. And I can protect myself."

Logan snorts, "Like hell you can."

"Logan, I'm taking jujitsu classes and I have a gun. And at Dad's insistence, Weevil and his crew are keeping an eye on me."

"A gun?" Logan's really upset. "Jesus Christ, that's the last thing I want to hear. Does your Dad know about that?"

"Yes, he checked me out on the firing range himself. It's all legit, I have a concealed weapons permit, and I was certified in firearms training over the summer at my FBI internship."

Logan has started pacing around the room. "I don't like it. I can't believe your Dad was okay with it. And you're running around asking questions again."

Veronica is silent, then says, "I can't do this, Logan. We have to find a way for you to be okay with it if we're going to be friends; this is the life I've chosen. I promise you, I'm taking self-defense and firearms seriously."

"Are you being completely honest with your Dad about your investigation?"

Veronica doesn't answer.

"Goddamnit, I knew it. I can't go through this again, worrying about you. Don't you understand what it's like for the people who care about you?" Logan says harshly.

"Would you rather I went back to prison, Logan?" she replies quietly.

"Veronica, I want you to tell your Dad about everything you're doing."

Veronica stays silent.

"The fact that you haven't told him means that you know what you're doing is dangerous. Veronica, I'm begging you. I can't do this again. You said I was allowed to worry about you. Well, here I am, worrying."

"Logan, I can't tell my dad everything, he'll freak."

"With good reason. I know I won't get you to stop. Please tell your dad what you're doing. Or tell me," he begs her.

"Logan, don't be such a drama queen. I'll tell Dad what I'm doing," she half-promises, leaving out the key word 'everything'.

"You know, Veronica, I just can't trust you to do that. I'm not built that way," Logan spits out.

Veronica is struck dumb by Logan throwing her words back in her face yet again. She recovers and says, "Forget what I said about you being allowed to worry about me." She closes the phone.

Logan throws the phone onto the table in frustration. For the first time in months, he proceeds to get completely drunk. He spends the evening worrying and finally, before going to bed, he sends an email to Keith. He doesn't get much sleep that night.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Klute  
**Surprising results from the bug; Veronica is  
chastised for her recklessness; Mac and Dick  
make weekend plans; Logan circles the drain.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: "KLUTE"

Knowing that Jake Kane is expected back from his Silicon Valley conference today, Veronica opens the Sonic Snoop Audio Surveillance program on her laptop. She frowns at the graphic equalizer on the screen. _There should at least be ambient room noise, why is it showing zero db?_ She turns up the gain to maximum; still there is no input level. She calls Weevil. "Is there anything you want to tell me about the bug?...There's no signal...Are you sure you turned it on the way I showed you?... Okay, okay, I believe you...What's that, Conothan Enterprises? I'll have to check it out...Thanks again." She hangs up, frowning. She sets the Sonic Snoop program to automatically record any room noise in the hopes that it's a momentary glitch, and reminds herself to check on it later. _I wonder what Dad wants to see me about._ She packs up her laptop and heads over to Mars Investigations.

She wiggles her fingers 'hi' at Wallace; when she opens the door to Keith's office, he looks up but doesn't say a word. _My god, he's really pissed._ She shuts the door behind her and tries to lighten the mood a little. "Whatsa matter, did Wallace eat the last donut?" She sits down across the desk.

"Veronica, last night I discovered that you've ordered the court transcript from your mother's trial. Today, my day started with a phone call from Jake Kane, telling me to keep my daughter away from his house. Then, when I opened up my email, I found an email from Logan, telling me he's worried about you," Keith says. He's so angry that there's a slight quiver in his voice.

Veronica feels Logan's betrayal like a punch to the gut. She sucks in air but doesn't say anything.

"'Dear Keith'," Keith reads from his screen, "'I hate to write to you about this. I'm worried that Veronica is pursuing some leads in her investigation that are putting her in danger. She refuses to tell me what she's doing and she admitted to me that she hasn't told you everything either. I hope you can get her to tell you what's she's up to.'" He looks sternly at Veronica. "I want to know everything you're doing, and you're not leaving this office until I'm satisfied that you're being truthful. What the hell were you doing at the Kane estate? 'Raising a ruckus' is what Jake said, but I would have thought the stealth approach would have been your choice from past experience."

"It was a diversion. Weevil planted a bug in Jake's office," she says quietly. "It doesn't matter, something's wrong with the bug, it's not transmitting."

"Doesn't matter?...Veronica, I'm surprised you would ask Weevil to take such a risk for you," Keith replies, his voice rising in anger.

"Well, would you have helped me with it?" She thinks, _I can't tell Dad everything but I'll tell him some of it. _Aloud, Veronica says, "I'm assuming you read the court transcript?" When Keith nods, she continues, "So then you know that mom has been in contact with Jake. Either she wanted to start up their affair again and he didn't, and he had Wiedman kill her, or more likely, Celeste found out and had my mom killed for once and for all, then covered her tracks by killing Wiedman and setting me up."

"Veronica, do you trust Leo?"

She nods.

"He's pursuing these angles himself, and he has access to the Kanes that we'll never have. If what you're thinking is true, they won't hesitate to hurt you or kill you."

"Dad, I swear I'm being careful; I had a great cover for Weevil and the diversion worked like a charm...Weevil saw something while he was there, he found a checkbook in the name of Conothan Enterprises. I think that's Celeste's maiden name. I don't think I've ever heard of Conothan Enterprises. I'd like to check it out."

Keith slams his fist on the desk. "Veronica, you are going to stay away from the Kanes. Let Leo work on this! I don't want you anywhere near them!" he shouts.

"I can't just sit around and wait for Vinnie to arrest me again!" she cries back. "You've got to let me do _something_!"

There's a tentative knock on the door, and Wallace pokes his head in. "Everything's okay in here?" he asks. "There's mad flava, and then there's _mad flava_. You're not going to go gangsta on each other are you? A beat-down at Mars Investigations...it's just not gonna look good to the clients."

Keith and Veronica still stare angrily at each other, then Keith relents and starts to chuckle. "A beat-down?"

Channeling her favorite Sam Spade movie, Veronica says, "'Sorry I got up on my hind legs, boys, but you fellas tryin' to rope me made me nervous.'"

Picking up on it right away, Keith replies, "'I've no earthly reason to think I can trust you, and, if I do this and get away with it, you'll have something on me that you can use whenever you want to.'"

"'Well, sir, if I told you half, you'd call me a liar,'" Veronica adds, giggling.

Relieved, Wallace says, "You guys need to get a life. Or at least some new DVDs. Keith, I've got the backgrounds checks on my list of suspects like you asked. Is it okay if Veronica takes a look at it?" Wallace was eavesdropping; he's known Veronica for four years now, and he thinks the best way to keep her from taking crazy chances is to give her something else to do, something that's routine but necessary, like eliminating suspects.

Keith nods, and the three of them pore over the information that Wallace has gleaned.

Wallace says, "I've been able to establish alibis on two of them. Jonathan Moskin was at a conference in Washington, D.C. that weekend, and I found a picture of him on the society pages of the Washington Post. Cathy Belben was in Switzerland at a 'spa'." Wallace does air quotes around the word spa.

"Plastic surgery?" Veronica says knowingly.

"Yeah, the mountain air did wonders for her cheekbones," Wallace replies.

Keith says, "I've talked to Bray. He claims he was at that Irish bar, The River Stix, and I think he's telling the truth; I got him purchasing gas on the other side of town at 4:30; he used an ATM near The River Stix around 5:30 and he has a credit card charge there too around 8:00. So he's probably in the clear too."

Veronica points to another one of the names. "What about this one, DeeDee Bradley?"

"There's not much information on her. She has a couple arrests on her record: DeeDee Bradley, nee Deirdre Jordan, aka Desiree Jones, was arrested for solicitation, but she was never convicted. Apparently the charges were dropped. Maybe somebody was paid off. It looks like she straightened up after the second arrest, and she went to Southern Methodist University. She married Reverend Neil Bradley right after graduation."

Veronica says, "A hooker with a heart of gold?"

"Maybe," Wallace says. "The reverend had a parish in Texas and then Maryland for a while; then they moved here about twelve years ago. No kids. DeeDee doesn't even have much of a credit report, apparently the reverend keeps everything in his own name. Reverends really don't make much money, do they?"

They nod, and Wallace continues. "There's nothing recent about DeeDee Bradley in any public records. But we also know that she hired Keith to follow her husband five years ago when she suspected he was having an affair."

Keith says, "I never found any evidence of an affair. She came in and told me it was a mistake, please forget that she was ever here."

"And her husband's church is First Presbyterian Evangelical of Neptune?" Veronica asks.

"Yes...what are you thinking?" Keith replies.

"Well, you know the language in the notes is...biblical. What if I went to church this Sunday and struck up a conversation with Mrs. Reverend Bradley?"

Keith looks at her. "With other people around, right?"

"Of course, totally in public, the whole time," she promises. "Wallace, you want to come with?"

"Uh, no, actually I'm visiting friends in L.A. this weekend," Wallace says, thinking, _No need to tell her I'm seeing Piz._

"All right, Veronica, I think you'll be okay on your own for this, just be careful," Keith says, thinking, _Maybe she'll leave the Kanes alone. It's a pretty safe thing for her to do while I'm checking on Father Patrick._

"Yes, Dad," she says, thinking, _First Presbyterian Evangelical is the Mannings' church, I can kill two birds with one stone.  
_  
----------

Mac is eating in the Food Court. _Vegan surprise, yummy. _She picks at the random vegetables covered with an unfortunately indescribable sauce.

"Hey baby." Dick sits down with her, sliding his tray next to hers. He has two burgers and fries, with not a single green vegetable to contaminate his lunch.

Mac tries not to look at his meal. "Dick, how come you're not eating at the frat house?"

"I thought I better go to class once before midterms, and I'm too lazy to walk all the way back. 'Sides, I have to check out the babes in the Food Court," Dick says.

"Well, don't let me stop you," she says, a little defensively.

"I was talking about you," he replies, taking a bite of his burger. "Haven't seen you around much."

"Yeah, I go to classes pretty much every day."

"I don't know how you do that," he says.

"It's kinda why we're here, Dick. Anyways, I've also been working hard on a little project Veronica and I have going, it does background checks for people going on blind dates," she tells him. "It's actually really taking off, we have a lot of orders. People are sick of getting burned with Internet dating."

"Does that mean you're too busy to go to Vegas anymore?" Dick asks.

"No, actually, I kind of miss Vegas. I'm going again this weekend," Mac informs him.

"For real? Can I come with you? I promise I won't get in the way. I'll do whatever you say," he pleads.

Mac thinks a bit, taking a couple bites of Vegan Surprise. _What am I doing?_

"C'mon Mac, it'll be totally awesome," Dick wheedles.

"All right. You can come."

"Sweet!" he exclaims.

"I usually take the 11:30 a.m. flight from San Diego on Friday, let's leave Hearst at 10:00," Mac says.

Dick overrules her. "No way. I just got a new Infiniti G37 coupe. We're driving."

"Dick, it's a five hour drive to Vegas."

"Not the way I drive. The Infiniti has a six-speed manual transmission, it's gnarly on the curves," Dick says reverently.

"Manual transmission? I always wanted to learn how to drive a stick," Mac says wistfully.

"This is your opportunity, babe. I can already picture you with your hand wrapped around my gear shift." He wiggles his eyebrows and she laughs, blushing. "I'll pick you up Friday at noon. Are you wearing the blonde wig again?"

"No...it's too soon for her to make an appearance again. I have something else in mind for this weekend...You know, we can use the drive to go over some of the basics of gambling theory. This is gonna be great," she smiles.

----------

_"Hello, you've reached Logan Echolls with today's inspirational message. 'Me seemes the world is runne quite out of square, From the first point of his appointed sourse, And being once amisse growes daily wourse and wourse.' Edmund Spenser."_

Veronica stabs at the 'end' button, much harder than necessary, to terminate the call.

----------

In Los Angeles, Logan stares at the phone, ringing, then going silent, and pours another scotch.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Postcards from the Edge  
**Leo announces for the Sheriff race; Logan  
reveals a nightmare; there is a development  
in the investigation of the Kanes.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: "POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE"

On the steps of Town Hall, Deputy Chief Leo D'Amato holds up a hand, signaling that the press conference was beginning. He speaks clearly and confidently, making eye contact with the video cameras.

"Fellow citizens of Neptune, I am hereby entering the race for Sheriff. Our town has great beauty and resources, but has recently seen an upsurge in violent crime. Neptune suffers from a lack of leadership and perspective in the Sheriff's Department. I am making my pledge to you, that if I am elected, there will be justice for all in Neptune. I will now be taking your questions."

The reporters shout questions at Leo: "Are you referring to the dismissal of charges in the Wiedman case?" "Are you accusing Sheriff Van Lowe of improper actions?" "Why were you suspended from the Sheriff's department four years ago?"

Through the noise and hubbub, Leo sees Vinnie at the back of the crowd, staring at him coldly. Vinnie pretends to make a gun with his pointer finger, and play-shoots at Leo. Vinnie walks away, and Leo turns his attention to the reporters.

----------

Veronica checks her post office box on campus. Mixed in with flyers, credit card applications, and advertising circulars is a plain envelope with no return address. Sitting on a bench, she opens the envelope and begins to read.

_Dear Veronica,_

_You haven't returned my calls or emails for quite a while now, and I know that you must have discovered that I'm married. I wanted you to know that I was sure when we met that my marriage was over. I would never have started seeing you if I intended to get back together with her. I swear to you that if necessary I would have sacrificed my marriage to keep you out of prison._

_I really miss you, Veronica, but I know that it's not right to keep doing this to my wife. If you ever need anything, I'm here for you._

_All my love,  
Mike_

Veronica crumples the letter and throws it into a nearby trash can.

----------

At Dr. Friedman's office, Logan shows up for his weekly appointment. He missed last week's appointment doing last minute paperwork and making phone calls for the Bridge project. Dr. Friedman notices that his eyes are bloodshot and wonders if he's hungover.

"I've been having bad dreams," he says abruptly.

Dr. Friedman realizes that he's not only hungover, he's already had a drink today. "Did something happen? You seem upset."

"I've been having bad dreams," he repeats. "They started a couple years ago but I haven't had one for a while, and now they've started again."

"Logan, what happened?"

"Well, uh, Carrie blew me off."

"What do you mean she blew you off?

"She stopped returning my calls, I don't know why."

Dr. Friedman presses. "What else happened?"

Logan sighs. "I went down to visit Dick and he sprang a little surprise on me, he arranged for me and Veronica to 'accidentally' meet up at a party," he says sarcastically.

"So Dick thinks you and Veronica belong together?"

"I don't know what Dick thinks, but he's not exactly a deep thinker."

"What happened at the party?"

"We talked...she told me she broke up with her douchebag boyfriend. I asked her if she ever figured out why he wouldn't give her an alibi; she stared at me, she knew, but she didn't want to admit it.

"Admit what?"

"My lawyers told me the guy is married."

"Is it possible that Veronica didn't know that?"

"I suppose; maybe that's why they broke up, because she found out."

Dr. Friedman asks, "So you fought?"

Logan replies, "We argued about her boyfriend and I almost called her a bitch, but I stopped myself."

"What made you want to call her a bitch?"

Logan says angrily, "I just don't understand it; when she was with me she was tracking me with my cell phone, she was keeping tabs on me everywhere. Are you telling me that she didn't even investigate this guy enough to find out that he was married?"

Dr. Friedman says, shrugging, "Well, maybe he didn't mean that much to her. So you argued at the party."

"Actually...we talked, and she said it was okay for me to worry about her."

"And...?"

"The other night she called; she admitted she's been investigating and she's carrying a gun now. It's like she wants to killed or arrested or...I don't know. We argued about it, and then we pretty much hung up on each other."

Dr. Friedman points out, "Veronica must feel pretty helpless right now; from what you've told me, she doesn't like feeling out of control...Logan, have you been drinking lately?"

"Yes," he admits quietly.

After a minute, Dr. Friedman asks, "Can you tell me about the dreams you've been having? Did they start again after you and Veronica argued on the phone?"

"Yes...I haven't had the dream for a while; it stopped for a while, while I was seeing Carrie."

"So Carrie made you feel safer?"

Logan nods.

"Tell me about the dream, Logan."

His voice is hoarse and so quiet that Dr. Friedman leans in to hear better. "In the dream I wake up face down on the bed, there's blood all around me. I push myself off the bed and try to find out where the blood is coming from. I feel my head and I find a bullet hole. There's no pain, it just feels...too quiet. I turn around and see a man with a gun. Then I wake up...scared to death."

"Logan, why do you think you're dreaming about dying like that?"

Logan just stares down at his hands folded in his lap. He reaches up and fusses at his hair.

Finally, he continues, hesitantly. "I told you that before I started coming here that I was seeing a married woman and it ended very badly. She was older, about forty-five, really hot-looking; she was into it, she couldn't get enough of me, she'd call me every time her husband left...booty calls. One time, we were together and we fell asleep. I could never stay over because of her husband, but this one time, it was in the afternoon and we fell asleep. When I woke up, the husband had a gun pressed against my temple."

"So what did you do?"

Logan says, the words spilling out quickly now, "I asked him what he wanted me to do. He said get up and get dressed and don't ever come back again. He held the gun on me the whole time. His wife was over in the corner sobbing; he'd hit her, her mouth was bleeding. Every once in a while while I was getting dressed, she'd whimper and he'd turn to her and say, 'shut up, whore'."

"So the dream is?"

"Yep, I'm on her bed, and he's done it, he's killed me..." He doesn't tell her, _it used to be Gory who killed me in the dream._

----------

In the Hearst College library, after a long night of studying, Veronica accesses the Sonic Snoop Audio Surveillance program again. She doesn't dare hope that the bug is working again. In the program's buffer, she is surprised to find a short burst of audio; she opens the file, puts on her headphones, and listens to it.

An unfamiliar male voice says, "Veronica Mars. I know you're listening to this. If you want your bug back, I want you to meet me in Waterside Park, in the parking lot, near the fountains, at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Come alone; if you bring anyone, I won't identify myself. I'll answer any of your questions about the Kanes at that time."

She listens to the file several more time. _Waterside Park, that's a good choice; public, but not crowded. The water noise from the fountains will prevent me from wearing a wire._ She considers the situation. _On a Saturday morning, there will be families and rollerbladers around...it seems safe enough...still, I better bring Backup. _She guiltily thinks about her promise to Logan and her dad, but finally decides she has to take this chance and go alone.

She leaves the library and heads back to her dorm room, lost in thought about the meeting on Saturday. Suddenly she realizes that she is in a very dark section of campus, and no one else is around. All of a sudden, she hears footsteps approaching. She calls out, "Hey Weevil, is that you?" The footsteps stop, but no one answers.

Veronica opens her handbag and reaches for her handgun. All her instincts tell her to run, but she forces herself to walk calmly down the dark path. She hears the footsteps behind her again; she whirls and draws the weapon, saying loudly in what she hopes is a confident voice, "I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!" The footsteps stop, then run away in the opposite direction. Veronica quickly half-runs, half-walks to the nearest building, and uses her student ID in the cardreader to unlock the door. She slams the door behind her and calls Weevil to come get her.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Freaky Friday  
**Veronica, shockingly, asks for help; Mac and  
Dick head for Vegas; Wallace meets Piz's  
new work mates.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Piz: Chris Lowell. Naomi:  
Audra McDonald. Violet: Amy Brenneman.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: "FREAKY FRIDAY"

"Hey, sleepyhead, better get up, you're going to miss your class again!" Mac teases Veronica.

Veronica yawns; she didn't get very much sleep last night. She laid awake thinking about what happened after she left the library. "You're packing--are you going to Vegas again?"

"Yep."

"I thought you were going to cut back on your trips now that YourCheatingHeart is doing so well," Veronica comments.

Mac smiles. "Turns out I really like gambling. Don't judge me...I'm taking Dick along for company this weekend."

Veronica gasps dramatically. "Talk about cover! No one will believe you're a math whiz cheating at blackjack when they see you with Dick Casablancas."

"I know!" Mac continues packing her suitcase. "He's going to drive us in his new Infiniti."

"Ooh, this sounds serious. Five hours alone in a car with Dick?"

"If he doesn't do anything to piss me off in that time, then you'll know you really have to worry about me," Mac laughs.

"I'm not sure I understand why you put up with him."

"Actually, he's sort of like a pet, very uncomplicated. As long as you give him food and drink, he'll entertain you for hours. It's really very relaxing."

"Mac, before you leave, could you do me a huge favor?" Veronica tells her about the incident the night before. "Do you think you could hack into the university security system and see if any of the campus video cameras captured an image of whoever was following me?"

"I'll try. Those servers aren't that hard to crack. Let me call Dick, we can leave a little later."

Veronica heads to class and Mac works on getting the security footage for her. She is able to download all the night's video feeds and she leaves them on a DVD for Veronica.

When Veronica gets back from class, she pores over the footage, but she is unable to see anyone following her in the shadows.

Weevil calls, asking how she's doing today. He tells Veronica that maintenance found a brick near the scene of the almost-attack.

----------

Dick shows up at Mac's dorm right at 1:00. He leans out the car window and smiles at her. "Hey Mac, you ready to cruise? Didya get all of Ronnie's hacking done?"

Mac smiles back. "It was cake. So this is the new vehicle?" She admires the Infiniti G37 coupe, thinking, _This is the sexiest car I've ever seen._

Dick gets out, puts Mac's bag in the trunk and shows off his baby. "The engineers at Infiniti code-named this car 'The Seductress'. Like I could resist a car named that! 3.7 liter V6, 330 horsepower, six-speed manual transmission, four wheel active steering...Wait 'til you check out the seats, they cup your ass like a Tijuana hooker!"

Mac laughs. "I'm not sure I can relate to that. What about the mileage?"

"25 miles per gallon highway, but who the hell cares about that?"

"Well, I think it's a fair bet that not too many vegans own this car."

"Whatever. C'mon, I'll fix your seat for you." Dick solicitously helps Mac adjust the numerous seating adjustments for a perfect fit. Of course, he manages to cop a quick feel at one point, but Mac lets it slide. He gets in, opens the moonroof and pops in a CD. "Let's hit it."

----------

Veronica walks into Mars Investigations. Keith is finishing up his monthly insurance company report on personal injury scammers. He leans back and says, "Hi, honey, I wasn't expecting you this afternoon. What's up?"

She opens her laptop on Keith's desk, saying, "The bug worked after all. You need to listen to this." She plays him the recording.

"Veronica Mars. I know you're listening to this. If you want your bug back, I want you to meet me in Waterside Park, in the parking lot, near the fountains, at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Come alone; if you bring anyone, I won't identify myself. I'll answer any of your questions about the Kanes at that time."

Keith looks at her. "So I'm assuming you want to go?"

Veronica says, "Yes, but that's not everything." She tells him about the incident on campus the night before. "Dad, I'm worried this is a set-up. If I do this, I want to take Backup and I want you there."

"How are you thinking to work it?" Keith says, worried, but relieved that for once his daughter came to him for assistance.

"With the fountain noise, you're not going to be able to hear me, but I can wear one of the mini-video cameras and you can at least see what I'm seeing and be nearby in case I need help. I can wear a mic and maybe you'll be able to hear a little of the conversation."

"It still seems dangerous."

"Dad, Waterside Park will be full of joggers and rollerbladers on a Saturday morning. It sounds like this guy is just as afraid of me as I am of him, and he wants to meet in a public place to avoid a confrontation."

"I'm not sure afraid is the right word, he sounds determined to me." Keith plays the recording again. "Are you sure you don't recognize the voice? It sounds like a young man to me, maybe it's someone you've met at the Kanes from when you were seeing Duncan. He sounds like he knows you."

"I'm positive I've never heard that voice before."

----------

Wallace walks into Oceanside Wellness Clinic in Los Angeles. It's very high class; he thinks that all the '09ers from Neptune would feel right at home. He spots Piz seated behind the reception desk and walks over. "Piz, give me some skin, bro."

Piz says, "Hey, Wallace."

An elegant African-American woman walks over to the desk, saying, "Dell, were you able to get in touch with Mrs. Gillespie?"

Wallace thinks, _Dell?_

Piz replies, "Yes, Naomi, I put her on the schedule for Monday. This is my friend, Wallace; we used to be roommates back at Hearst College before I transferred. Wallace, this is Naomi, she's my boss."

Naomi says, "Nice to meet you, Wallace." She eyeballs Wallace's physique. "Are you another surfer like Dell?"

A little confused, Wallace replies, "No, I play basketball."

"Hmm, shirts and skins, sounds good." She walks into an office.

"What's that about?" Wallace asks. "And what's this Dell stuff?"

Piz looks a little embarrassed. "When I started working here, they asked what I liked to be called and I told them Piz or Stosh. They looked at my resume and saw that my full name is Stanley Adalbert Piznarski and asked if they could call me Dell, you know, short for Adalbert, instead. I think they thought Piz wasn't upscale enough."

"Stanley Adalbert Piznarski...S.A.P.? Dude, your parents wanted you to get your ass kicked in school."

Another woman joins them at the desk; she is brunette, in her early forties, slightly scattered. "Dell, can you cancel my 5:30? I have a dinner date and I don't think I'll make it with traffic."

"Of course, Violet. I'll take care of it. This is my friend Wallace from Neptune."

Violet shakes Wallace's hand, "You're the old roommate, right? You and your friend Veronica are the detectives?"

Wallace glances at Piz/Dell, who shrugs. "Yes, although I'm really more like the sidekick."

"Not from what Dell says. He told me about a few of your cases."

"I think he might have exaggerated a little," Wallace says politely.

"I was wondering if you were also a surfer, like Dell is."

_What the hell is up with surfing around here? _Wallace thinks. "No, I'm on the varsity basketball team at Hearst College."

She looks at him appraisingly, "It's really nice to meet you, Wallace. I hope to see more of you while you're visiting."

She leaves, and Piz/Dell cancels Violet's appointment for her. He looks at his watch and says, "Let's get out of here."

As they leave, Wallace says, "Are these people mental about surfing?"

Piz/Dell says, "Just the women; the men could care less. But I gotta tell you, they're all a little nuts."

----------

On the I-15, Mac slips the transmission into sixth gear and negotiates a curve in the highway like a pro.

"You got it baby!" Dick yells as the speedometer inches toward 90 mph.


	6. Chapter 26 to Chapter 28

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Eventual Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

**WARNING: Piz makes an appearance in these chapters (NOT Pizonica). If you hate him, don't read it.**

**I swear this was written in August. The 'Private Practice' writers read my mind, or else we just like the same cliches.**

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated.

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Fun with Dick, Jane and Piz  
**Veronica meets with an old friend; Wallace  
and Piz are recruited to find a missing doctor;  
Mac tutors Dick in the ways of Vegas; Dick  
tutors Mac in the ways of Dick.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Blond Stranger: Chris  
Carmack. Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Wallace:  
Percy Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Piz: Chris Lowell.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: "FUN WITH DICK, JANE AND PIZ"

In Waterside Park, Veronica calls her dad on her iPhone. "Audio and video working?"

From his car, Keith says, "Check and check. Got your gun?"

"Of course." Veronica tugs on Backup's leash. The dog looks up at her adoringly and they begin to walk toward the fountain that borders the parking area. _10:55, right on schedule._ She stands in front of the rushing water and says, "Backup, guard!" Backup sits, but remains alert, protecting his mistress.

At 11:00, the blond stranger Veronica followed from Pemberton Estates walks up. "Hello, Veronica," he says.

"Have we met?" she asks.

"Well, if you call tailing someone a meeting, then yes, we are acquainted. You can call me Daniel," he says. "Of course, the Kanes have made me familiar with your past exploits. Here's your bug, as promised." He hands her the listening device.

There's an awkward pause. In the car, Keith peers at the laptop screen, wondering who this is. He's a little reassured by the stranger's body language; the young man seems to be comfortable talking to Veronica. He wishes he could hear what they're saying, but other than an occasional syllable, he can only hear the rush of water. Then Keith is shocked: he watches as Backup barks, then licks the hand of the stranger.

Veronica is dumbfounded. "He usually hates strangers. Backup, sit!"

"It's okay, dogs always like me." Daniel pats Backup's head; the dog whines happily. "Veronica, you have to leave the Kanes alone. They are not involved in your mother's murder."

"How can you be so sure? The Kanes have a lot of money, they could have arranged for Wiedman to murder my mother and then had him killed."

"Veronica...I know for a fact that they were otherwise engaged that weekend, I was with them the entire time. I also was with them when they heard that Lianne Mars had been killed; there's no way that they could have faked their reaction, they were truly shocked."

"Otherwise engaged? What does that mean?" Veronica asks.

Just then, a young girl, just a toddler, walks up to Daniel. "Daddy, I'm hungry." She rubs her eyes, and then grabs the man's hand.

Listening in the car, Keith watches Veronica's videocamera turn downward; he realizes she is looking at the child; he hears her say, "..uh...n, is...you? Oh my g..., it is..." He is shocked to see the camera's focus zoom toward the stranger's chest, and he realizes Veronica is hugging the stranger.

----------

Piz and Wallace are throwing a Nerf basketball around in Piz's apartment when the phone rings.

"'Lo?" Piz drawls.

Violet, the therapist from Oceanside Wellness Center, says frantically, "Dell, it's me, Violet. I know it's your day off, but is there any way you could drive over to Cooper's house and check on him for me? He's two hours late, patients are screaming, he's not answering either one of his phones. I can't go, I have a patient in crisis here."

Piz says, "I suppose...what if he's not there? What do you want me to do?"

Violet gives him the address and says, "There's a spare key hidden under the green flowerpot; take your detective friend along, maybe he can help. Let me know what happens. I gotta go, thanks a million, Dell."

Piz hangs up and looks at Wallace. "That was Violet, the doctor with the brown hair you met yesterday?"

Wallace nods.

"Cooper is the pediatrician at Oceanside and he's always hooking up with these really questionable women he meets online. Violet's had to bail him out a bunch of times. She said he's two hours late and she can't go, she wants us to go see if he's alright."

"By questionable you mean hot, right?"

"Uh-huh. Plus, you know, Cooper's the guy that scored the tickets for us, we probably should see if he needs help," Piz adds.

"All right, I'm in."

----------

Mac and Dick are in their hotel room in Vegas. The night before they had a nice dinner, and Mac gambled a bit; Dick mostly watched, trying to remember what Mac had told him during the ride. Mac goes over it again.

"Okay, so we're going to use the KO counting system...it's one of the easiest systems, so it's the best way for you to get started." She shuffles a deck of cards and taps the cards' edges against the table. "We use this system so we don't have go back and forth between the running count and the true count, do you remember, I explained the math to you."

Dick's eyes are a little glazed, but he nods his head.

"All the cards 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 count as 'plus one', 8 and 9 are 'zero' and ten and up are 'minus one'. When the dealer starts a new full shoe of cards, you start at 'zero' and add or subtract as cards are dealt. Then you use the strategy chart," she points at the small laminated card in Dick's hand "to make your decision. At any point, the card count tells you whether to hit, stand, double or split. It's basic probability theory."

"Okay, I think I got it," Dick mumbles.

They practice keeping count until Dick can manage it.

"Now let's see if you remember what I taught you about dealer tells," Mac instructs.

Dick is more confident about this topic. "All right, if the dealer's hole card is a paint card, that means a face card, he'll be able to see it easily, so he'll just look at it, super-quick. Now, if he's got a stiff card--I gotta tell ya, I love that, STIFF card--that means a low card, he'll have to look carefully to make sure it's not an ace. I got my own little trick for remembering; QUICKIE, STIFFY. Two of my most favorite words."

Mac rolls her eyes.

Dick punches her lightly in the arm, "Don't sweat it so much. I'm just here to hang with you. The red hair is killin' me."

Mac's persona for the weekend is Maggie Murphy; the wig is vivid red, cut in layers and spiky. "What you really love is the trashy outfit."

Dick pulls her onto his lap, nuzzling her neck and grabbing her ass. "You say trashy, I say bootylicious."

----------

Veronica looks at the little girl walking up to the stranger and feels a chill, realizing who the little girl reminds her of.

_FLASHBACK: Veronica pushes back the clothes and reveals a sliding door in the back of the closet. She opens the door and sees Grace Manning sitting in the small space. She turns to Duncan, upset at their discovery._

Veronica turns to the stranger and says, shakily, "Duncan...is that you? Oh my god, it is you." She throws her arms around Duncan's neck.

"Not so loud, Veronica," he whispers in her ear.

"Duncan, she looks...she looks just like Grace Manning. She's beautiful."

Duncan says, "Sometimes she reminds me of my sister when she was little too. She's definitely got Lilly's free spirit. Since we've been on the run, I've been calling her Jane." He smiles down at his daughter. "Jane, you were supposed to stay in the car."

Keith watches the video screen. The camera lens moves out from the stranger's chest and then downward, with the blond man out of view; he realizes they are sitting next to each other on the park bench, and he wonders what the hell is going on. He decides to take a chance and dials Veronica's cell phone.

Veronica answers her iPhone. "Hey, Dad." She glances over at Duncan.

Keith says, "Veronica, if you're in trouble, tap the videocamera."

"Nope...Everything's fine, you don't need to worry. I'll see you later, okay?"

"I'm going to keep watching, honey." They hang up.

Veronica asks, "How many plastic surgeries did you have?"

Duncan says, a little bitterly, "Nose, cheekbones, chin implant, eyebrows, you name it, I did it. Colored contact lenses, and dyed hair. You know, dark roots are a bitch." Lilly lays her head down in her father's lap and closes her eyes.

"But I don't get it, even your voice is different."

Stroking his daughter's hair, Duncan explains, "I found a doctor in Sao Paulo who does a surgery on your voice box that alters your speaking voice. When I first left the country, the Mannings' private investigators were completely ruthless. I barely got out of Hong Kong ahead of them. I spent some time in Capetown and Sydney, then I moved to Cyprus for a while. It was easy for my parents to send me money there because of the banking laws."

"Conothan Enterprises, right?" Veronica asks.

"How did you--." He shakes his head. "The last few months, I've been in Vancouver. Mom and Dad are getting close to working out an amnesty deal. They have their own private investigators looking at the Mannings to prove that they are unfit parents. Lately, the Mannings seem to have given up trying to find me, and it seems a little bit safer, so I've come into town a few times to talk with the lawyers. It's risky, but I would do anything to keep Lilly. You don't know what it's like, Veronica. When you become a parent, everything changes; you would do anything for them." He leans down and kisses Lilly on the head.

"Does that go for Jake and Celeste too?"

"Veronica, doesn't October third mean anything to you?" Duncan asks.

She remembers, and flushes in embarrassment.

"I came to town on the second. We spent the whole weekend together, just family, marking the fifth anniversary of Lilly's death. We watched home movies, we reminisced; we cried, a lot. We showed my Lilly pictures of her aunt. On Sunday evening, we watched the news and learned that Wiedman had been shot. There's no way that my parents faked their reaction to the news. My dad hasn't thought about your mom in a long time; all they ever think or talk about is getting me amnesty and reuniting the family."

"What about your mom, she always hated--" Veronica starts.

"Veronica, she's not involved. When they found out about..." Duncan stops.

"What?"

"My parents fired Clarence Wiedman when they found out I hired him to execute Aaron Echolls."

"You...hired Clarence Wiedman?" Veronica is aghast at the revelation of Duncan's involvement.

"Yes...it came up about six months ago when the attorneys were scrutinizing some of my expenses overseas. When my dad questioned me about it, I admitted that I was the one who avenged Lilly's murder. My parents were furious with me and with Clarence. It's one thing to manipulate the evidence in a murder investigation, but to them it's another level entirely to assassinate a child-raping, murdering scum like Aaron." Duncan says, vituperatively. He repeats, "You don't know what it's like to be a parent, Veronica. I couldn't live with the possibility that Aaron might rape another teen-aged girl like my daughter. When my parents found out what I had done, they fired Clarence on the spot, and they reamed me a new one, saying I had put all their amnesty efforts in jeopardy with my actions."

"Wait...did you say that Wiedman did manipulate the evidence in Lilly's case? I never understood what happened, what did he do to make the time of death appear to be earlier?" Veronica says.

Duncan tells her what happened.

_FLASHBACK: At the Kanes' old Neptune estate, Jake and Celeste return home. Jake calls out for Lilly and finds her, murdered, in her brother's arms by the pool. Jake and Celeste drag Duncan away from his sister, and Jake places a call to Clarence Wiedman. "I don't know what happened; all I know is we need to make sure that my son and Celeste and I have an alibi for this," Jake says frantically._

_Celeste confronts Jake,"I don't understand...where were you this afternoon?" Jake admits he was with Lianne, and Celeste slaps him across the face. Wiedman comes to the estate, bringing bags of ice. He packs Lilly's body in the ice to lower her body temperature, making it appear that her body has been cooling for several hours and therefore changing the time of death to hours earlier. Wiedman makes sure that Duncan is cleaned up and then re-stages the murder scene. He delegates washing Duncan's soccer uniform to Celeste, who forgets to turn off the buzzer on the dryer, which later alerts Keith Mars that the Kanes are doing laundry._

"Did you know that your dad paid my mother's fine when she was arrested for dealing drugs? And then he paid for her rehab?" Veronica asks, her voice rising in agitation. She remembers something else. "Did you know that five years ago Wiedman stalked me and took photos, sending them to my mother so she wouldn't reveal my supposed paternity?"

"That's not the real reason for the photos." Duncan looks at Veronica's shocked face. "You thought it was to keep Lianne quiet about you possibly being my sister, but there was never a real possibility that you could make a substantial claim on the Kane estate. The entire Kane fortune was locked up in trusts from day one."

Veronica is silent, trying to absorb the new information.

_FLASHBACK CONTINUES: At the Kane estate, Celeste and Clarence are arguing. Celeste, pacing uncontrollably, says,"Keith Mars is sure Jake had something to do with the murder. If he discovers that we moved Lilly's body and" choking on the words "made her...froze her...changed the time of death..." she finally finishes._

_Wiedman responds, "We did what we had to do to protect your son."_

_Celeste sobs, "If Keith finds out that Jake and I weren't at the Neptune Grand...Keith will never stop investigating and Duncan might be arrested."_

_"The only one who can break your alibi is Lianne Mars. Celeste, Lianne has to be silenced."_

_"Silenced--" Celeste says, panicking._

_"Don't worry, I'll make sure that she'll stay quiet. I can show her what will happen if she doesn't," Wiedman says, menacingly._

Duncan explains, "Clarence tried to force her to remain silent by sending her the threatening photos, but your mom just ran away. My dad was furious when he found out what my mom and Clarence had done--he thought it would only make your dad more suspicious."

_And make me suspicious, too,_ Veronica thinks. "And what about the fine, and rehab last year?"

"To my knowledge, that was the last contact my dad had with your mom. They argued about Lianne a little after we saw the news of Wiedman's death. My dad swore that he washed his hands of Lianne after he admitted her to the rehab center. And I believe him...I'm sorry, Veronica, but your mom only brought pain and trouble to my family; by the time of your mother's arrest in Texas, my dad had begun to reunite with my mother. All they ever talk about or think about is getting me amnesty and custody of Lilly."

"Aunt Lilly?" says the little girl sleepily, who has fallen asleep in Duncan's lap while they rehashed the past.

"Yes, Jane, Aunt Lilly," Duncan says.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Eyes Wide Shut  
**Wallace and Piz help a not-so-innocent  
sucker with the long-distance help of Mac;  
Dick just wants to play; Duncan helps  
Veronica make sense of things.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. New Duncan: Chris  
Carmack. Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Wallace:  
Percy Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Piz: Chris Lowell.  
Lisa: Lindsay Lohan. Cooper: Paul Adelstein.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: "EYES WIDE SHUT"

Wallace and Piz pull up outside Cooper's house in the hills. "Everything looks okay," Piz says.

They ring the doorbell, but there's no answer. "Let's look around a little before we go in," Wallace suggests. They walk around the outside of the house, looking in the windows. When they go around the back, Piz looks in the window and says, "Uh, oh."

Wallace joins him, and starts to laugh when he sees a man, naked, tied spread-eagle to his bed with duct tape over his mouth. "Somebody had a really good time last night."

They rush around to the front, find the key under the flower pot and let themselves in. Piz calls out, "Dr. Cooper, it's me, Dell. Violet was worried when you didn't come in today."

Piz and Wallace make their way into Cooper's bedroom and release him from his bonds. Cooper ruefully removes the duct tape from his mouth.

"Dr. Cooper, are you okay?" Piz asks.

Cooper eyes Wallace. "Who's he?"

Piz says, "He's my old roommate, Wallace; he's visiting me this weekend. What happened?"

Cooper, throwing on some clothes, tells them the sordid story. He met up with a woman whose screen name was LusciousLisa747 at a bar; they hit it off and returned to his place. She suggested the bondage sex play, but as soon as she had Cooper secured, she duct taped his mouth, then rifled through his belongings and stole his cash and a few small items.

"I don't care about the cash. And I don't even care that she tied me up and left me. Actually, that was kind of hot," he muses. "But she stole my grandfather's watch; he wore it all through World War II, and claimed it was his lucky watch that saved his life. It means a lot to me. I can't believe she took that, it's not very valuable, except to me," Cooper moans. "I would pay a lot to get that watch back."

Wallace and Piz glance at each other. Wallace says, "You know, Dr. Cooper, I work for a private investigator in Neptune. I might be able to help you."

----------

In Vegas, Mac and Dick have entered the casino floor and have selected a blackjack table. Dick tries hard to stick to the counting system Mac taught him, but he keeps losing count when he looks at her. After the hand, Mac grabs his knee and whispers in his ear, "You should have stuck there!"

He whispers back, "I can't think when you touch my leg, baby."

Mac smiles at him. Her cell phone vibrates and she checks the text message. It's Wallace. "CALL ME I NEED HELP ON INTERNET CASE 911". She says to Dick, "Let's take a little break, and have lunch by the pool."

At the pool, she dials Wallace's cell. "Whassup, my brother."

Wallace explains that he's trying to get the real IP address of Cooper's date. Mac coaches him through the steps, but it's a dead end, and Wallace says he'll have to try something else.

Dick has changed into his swim trunks, and he does a cannonball off the diving board. Mac screams as he soaks her.

"Where the hell are you anyways?" Wallace asks.

"Uh, I'm in Vegas."

Dick says loudly, "C'mon, get off the phone, the pool is bitchin'."

Wallace says, "Is that Dick? What is wrong with you, girlfriend?"

"I'm just seeing how the other one percent lives." Pointing at her head, she mouths at Dick, "Wig, remember?"

"Just make sure you wear a raincoat with the Mack Daddy," Wallace retorts.

----------

Duncan puts his arm around Veronica. "It's great to see you, Veronica. I mean, I've seen you around a few times when I've been in town, but it's been really hard not to speak to you."

"I've missed you, too. Duncan, did you know that someone faked forensic evidence that pointed to me?" Veronica says seriously. "And my dad has been receiving threatening letters. They say things like 'Repent, the time of Reckoning is upon you' and 'Whosoever shall lay with the sinner shall be struck by the hand of god's messenger'. Does that sound like it could be the Mannings to you? Do you think they hate me that much for helping you run away?"

Duncan considers for a moment. "I remember that Grace's journal had the phrase 'The path to God is paved with righteousness' written over and over again. The Mannings did write some letters to my parents that were pretty nasty; they accused my dad of orchestrating my flight out of the country. They even ranted a bit about suing you as well for aiding and abetting."

"They filed suit against the school board and the Casablancas but they never sued me," Veronica says thoughtfully.

"Probably their lawyers told them it was an impossible case. Are you sure the letters are connected to you? Your dad's made a lot of enemies over the years."

"One of the letters said, 'The sins of the Father shall be visited upon the lamb'. You could interpret that as meaning that I will be punished for _your_ sins, Duncan. And we got the last letter right after my indictment was dismissed: 'Judge not; for only the lord can forgive a sin'. Do you think the Mannings are crazy enough to murder my mother in order to punish me?"

"They're definitely crazy, but as a motive that seems pretty far-fetched. And I think they hate me a lot more than they hate you."

"But you're not around, as far as they know. Maybe they're lashing out," Veronica ponders.

"Doesn't track for me...Veronica, please believe me, my parents aren't involved in this. I know my dad hates you, but he wouldn't do this, especially when it might jeopardize my amnesty," Duncan swears. "Veronica, I need to get going. I've been here too long, I can't take the chance that someone might recognize me..."

Veronica thinks, _if I didn't recognize you, no one would._

"I'm heading back to Vancouver tonight. Please...don't try to bug my Dad again. I'm going to give you a secure email address. Don't use it unless you have to." Duncan kisses Veronica on the cheek and hugs her.

"Bye Daniel, bye Jane." Veronica waves goodbye, thinking about what might have been.

----------

Wallace asks Cooper to tell them about the date with Luscious Lisa.

"Well, there's not much to tell. We chatted online; I said we should meet and she agreed. She suggested Gallery Bar, but we settled on Glow because I had to work late and I didn't want to fight traffic on the Santa Monica Freeway."

"Hmmm." Wallace thinks. "You're sure Gallery Bar was the bar she suggested?"

"Positive."

"My boss has taught me that most criminals are creatures of habit; once they find a scam that works, they do it over and over again. Can you print out her picture? Piz and I will go over to the Gallery Bar and see if she makes an appearance tonight."

----------

After Duncan leaves, Veronica sits, just thinking. Her dad walks up and sits down beside her.

Keith says, "You know, I didn't get it at first. But I'm thinking that was your old friend who's been out of the country for a while. And he's had quite a bit of plastic surgery, I might add."

"Yes," she says. "He's going by 'Daniel' now and his parents are trying to get him amnesty."

"Did you learn anything from him?"

"He says that he was with Jake and Celeste all weekend. They were observing the fifth anniversary of Lilly's death. Dad, I'm so embarrassed, I didn't even make that connection," Veronica says soberly. "He said that Jake and Celeste were as surprised as he was when they heard Mom had been killed."

"And we know they're not great actors. Do you believe him?" Keith asks.

Veronica sighs. "I believe that he believes they're not involved."

----------

At Gallery Bar, Wallace and Piz take seats at the bar, and prepare to observe the clientele. Piz starts to order a beer, but Wallace nudges him, saying, "We don't want to get wasted tonight."

They sip at their Cokes, checking out all the ladies who come in the bar. Around 7:30, Wallace says, "Target acquired." When Piz instinctively turns to look, Wallace grabs his arm and says, "Be cool, Adalbert."

Piz glares at Wallace.

Wallace, thinking, says, "Piz, you should go get the car. I'll stay here and I'll send you a text when they're getting ready to leave. That way we can make sure to follow them. And...get two pizzas from that California Pizza Kitchen across the street."

After several drinks, Luscious Lisa and her escort get up to leave the bar; Wallace texts Piz "START YR ENGINES".

As they follow the couple through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, Piz remarks, "Ewww, she's practically in his lap." Then her head disappears from view, and Piz says, "We better drop back a little, it might be dangerous to tailgate." Wallace makes a face.

Finally, Lisa and her new friend pull up to a modest home. They walk inside, arm and arm; Lisa starts to undress her companion even before he unlocks the door.

"Now what?" Piz says.

"We eat one of the pizzas while we wait," Wallace says. "What kind did you get?"

"Barbecue Chicken and The Works," Piz answers.

After a brief discussion of the relative merits, they begin to chow down on The Works. About twenty minutes later, a taxi pulls up to the house and honks. Lisa leaves the house and walks toward the cab.

"Do you think they're done already?" Piz whispers.

"No, Piz, even you weren't that quick," Wallace says, avoiding Piz's finger flick. "She probably tied him up just like Cooper, cleaned him out and called a cab."

"So what do we do?"

"We follow the cab. I'll call the cops and report a disturbance at this address," Wallace replies. After he hangs up with 911, Wallace coaches Piz on his plan.

The taxi pulls up to a one-story house in the Valley. Piz parks the car. Wallace goes over the plan one last time, making Piz practice his lines. After waiting about fifteen minutes, Wallace sneaks up to the house unobtrusively. He scouts around the house, carefully checking to make sure Lisa is alone. He gives a thumbs-up to Piz waiting in the car. Then Piz puts on the baseball cap that Wallace found in the back seat and walks up to the house whistling and carrying the second pizza box. Piz rings the doorbell as Wallace crouches out of sight next to the door.

"California Pizza Kitchen!!" Piz calls out.

Lisa replies, "I didn't order a pizza. Go away."

"It's a special promotion, ma'am. We just opened a new restaurant in your neighborhood and we're giving everyone a free pizza to introduce them to California Pizza Kitchens. It's Barbecue Chicken, our signature pizza."

Silence from the house.

"C'mon, ma'am," Piz continues in his best Beaverton doofus voice. "My boss pays me based on how many pizzas I give away. Have a heart, willya?"

They hear the chain-lock sliding, and as Lisa opens the door, Wallace springs up and pushes into the house.

"Hey Lisa," he says. "We're here to get back Cooper's watch that you stole last night."

"What? I don't know what you're talking about," she says, nervously.

"If we don't get back the watch, we're going to tell the cops about what you did last night and tonight. We followed you from the Gallery Bar. I bet the bartender would probably remember you, too," Wallace says, quite a bit more authoritatively than he feels. "Cooper doesn't care about the money, he just wants the watch."

Lisa looks from Wallace to Piz and back. Finally, she says, "Fine, take the watch; I tried to pawn it today and it's not even worth anything." She finds the watch on her desk and hands it to Wallace. "Now get the hell out of here."

"You can keep the pizza with our compliments, ma'am," Piz says mock-seriously, touching the brim of his baseball cap.

As they quickly leave and head back to the car, Wallace says, "You are the definition of dweeb, okay? If we ever work together again, you are not allowed to improvise."

Piz just smiles goofily as they drive off.

They meet up with Cooper a short while later. Cooper's so happy to get his watch back that he gives them a five-hundred dollar reward and tells them to have fun at the game tomorrow. Wallace gives him a card from Veronica and Mac's new website 'YourCheatingHeart dot com', saying, "You really need this, dude."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Something's Gotta Give  
**A new case for Mars Investigations; Logan  
seeks out trouble and finds it.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Piz: Chris Lowell. Logan:  
Jason Dohring. Angel: Hector Atreyu Ruiz.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: "SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE"

Logan tips the bottle upside down. "Fuck." It's empty.

He considers his options. He could stop drinking. He could go buy more booze, although at this point he's not sure about driving; in fact he's not even sure where he parked the car. Of course, there's always the bars.

He picked the neighborhood where he lives for three reasons: close to surfing, reasonably close to UCLA, and plenty of neighborhood bars, filled with accommodating women and generous bartenders. He can put up with the tourists and the slightly crazy residents hanging out at Muscle Beach, so long as he also gets to appreciate the slightly funky ambience they thrive in.

He decides on the Venice Whaler bar, thinking that it'll be a short walk home, if he gets as drunk as he plans to. When he gets there, the bar is filled with energy; young people buzzing around, drinking and socializing, hoping that tonight's hookup will be the one that lasts. The noise level is comforting and stimulating all at once. He selects a seat at the bar and the bartender sets him up with a double. Logan says, "Keep 'em coming."

He is moderately buzzed. He confounded himself today by returning to work on his screenplay; somehow the characters are spinning slightly out of his control and he can't seem to make them behave, but the work is still surprisingly satisfying.

Logan notices a brunette woman sitting several tables over: not quite beautiful, but very attractive, with long legs and generous breasts, dressed in a tight mini-skirt and clinging top. He sees that she has a male companion hanging on her and looks away. He turns forward and realizes that he can see her in the mirror behind the bar.

She lights a cigarette, drags in a long intake of smoke, and crosses those long legs. Logan stops breathing for a second as she languorously drapes one long leg over the other, exhibiting herself in her short skirt, dangling one backless high heel from her manicured toes. He takes another sip. Her male companion answers his cell phone, and Logan realizes that she is now looking directly at him in the mirror. She holds his gaze for several seconds longer than coincidence, then turns back to her friend as he shuts his cell phone.

He continues to watch her for another ten minutes, finishing his drink and receiving another. Only once does she meet his eyes, and it's so brief that he's not sure it's intentional. Then, as her boyfriend turns to place an order for another round with the waiter, she looks at his reflection with obvious invitation. She stands up and heads for the ladies' restroom at the rear of the bar. Logan follows her with his eyes via the mirror. Several minutes later, almost as if someone else is controlling him, he throws a twenty on the bar, stands up and follows her.

----------

Piz and Wallace are having an argument over who has better breasts, Jennifer Love Hewitt or Jessica Simpson. Wallace finally trumps Piz by saying, "You know, it's not just size, it's also the angle of declination, the relative vertical movement compared to the movement of the body in general, and of course, nipple prominence." He motions descriptively as he speaks.

Piz concedes, "I didn't realize you've done such scholarly work on the topic."

Wallace says, "It's been one of my particular interests for quite a while now." They both grin.

They decide to have a drink, and park Piz's car near his apartment in Mar Vista. They walk toward the beach area, with Piz telling Wallace about the crazy people that hang out in this area, "Tomorrow, we have to check out the rollerblading babes." Piz points to Venice Whaler, a bar that he's hung out in several times, mentioning that the local talent hangs out there, and that it's an excellent bar to research Wallace's mammary theories.

----------

Veronica is studying diligently in her dorm room when she is interrupted by a knock on the door. It's Weevil, with an older Hispanic man.

"Hey, V, you remember my uncle, Angel, right?"

Veronica nods. "You fixed my LeBaron a couple times...and sold a car to my old boyfriend, Duncan." She tilts her head, saying, "How is the 'used' car business these days, anyways?" making air quotes around the word 'used'.

"It sucks," Angel says bitterly. "Okay, Eli says you're cool...so I'm just gonna tell ya. Sometimes our cars don't have a...legitimate...title or bill of sale. And some of my employees, they're not quite legal either. Last week, we get a call, saying that the sheriff's department is going to be visiting us the next day. The guy doesn't say who he is, just says Sheriff Van Lowe is going to be stopping by around 2:00, then hangs up. So, we're not stupid. Anyone without a green card stayed home that day, and we fixed up all the paperwork or got rid of the cars that we couldn't account for. Took us all night. Van Lowe shows up at 2:00, says it's just a routine immigration check, looks at our I-9 forms, then goes through our inventory and paperwork, making sure they all check out."

"So what's the problem?" Veronica asks.

"That night I got another call. Same guy. He says five grand a week, to make sure we don't have any more surprise raids from the sheriff's department."

"Protection money?"

Weevil says, "A quarter mil a year is not protection money. They're trying to drive Angel out of business."

Veronica says quizzically, "They?"

"The Fitzpatricks. A block down the street is Paddy's Car Parts and Used Car Emporium. Lately, Paddy's business seems to be a little slow and Angel's been cleaning up," Weevil explains.

"So they're making the cost of business too high for you, Angel?" Veronica questions.

"It's not just that. They killed our guard dogs a while ago. Someone shot out the windows in the office last night," Angel replies. "They're not taking no for an answer."

"I don't know, Weevil. The Fitzpatricks are dangerous. This is a big deal, more than I can handle," Veronica worries.

Eli replies, "I was hoping you would talk to your dad about it. Maybe you could..." he shrugs. "Maybe you could convince him that Angel's chop shop is the lesser evil in this case."

----------

In the Venice Whaler, Logan heads for the rear section of the bar. Looking for the woman he's been eying, he turns the corner and sees the restrooms, thinking, _Now what? What the hell do you think you're doing here, Logan? _ He is just about to sensibly turn around and go back to the bar when she emerges from the ladies' room and turns to check herself in the mirror beside the door. She adjusts her skirt, tugging it to make sure it's exposing exactly what it intends to in perfectly symmetrical proportions.

Logan walks up behind her and quietly says, "I'd be happy to help with that." He places his right hand on her right hip. She is tall, especially on her high heels, and his mouth falls near to her ear. She draws in a breath, arches her back and subtly presses her ass back against Logan. He is instantly aroused, and lets his hand lightly move up her side, caressing her, feeling the smooth curve of her breast. When she doesn't protest and leans back against him even harder, he whispers urgently, "Let's get out of here...there's the back exit." Logan motions with his head.

A hand grabs his shoulder and pulls him away, whirling him around. Logan sees the fist like an oncoming freight train just before it smashes into his nose. "Motherfucker!" the man snarls. He takes advantage of Logan's surprise and hits him again, once in the abdomen and then again on Logan's face. Logan tries to recover and manages to hit his attacker several times with little force. The man smacks Logan on the chin, viciously, and Logan goes down. The man kicks at him and Logan tries to roll away.

Wallace and Piz come around the corner, looking for the men's' room. Wallace cries, "Shit, it's Logan!" Without thinking, he rushes over. As the man raises his leg to kick Logan again, Wallace gets his foot underneath and manages to push him off-balance. "Break it up, dude! He's down, you need to stop!" Wallace exclaims. A bartender rushes over as well, and with Wallace's help, gets the man to stop pummeling Logan. The girl who caused the commotion is watching intently, not saying anything. Piz stands frozen, remembering Logan's fury eighteen months before.

Wallace kneels down and speaks to Logan. "Logan, are you all right? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Logan shakes his head no.

"All right, I'll call you a cab to take you home."

"No, I live a couple blocks from here. Can you...can you help me get home?" Logan manages to get on his feet with Wallace's help. "Shit," he says. He looks over and sees Piz and says, again, "Shit...karma really sucks."

----------

In Vegas, Dick is lying with his head on Mac's stomach. He looks up at her and says, "You know, I can't believe I never noticed how blue your eyes are. The red wig is cute, but Mac au naturel is my favorite. Especially this part right here." He starts nuzzling on Mac's stomach and begins to head down to the promised land.

Mac's cell phone rings. It's Wallace. "What's up?"

Wallace explains that he and Piz have rescued Logan from a bar fight and asks if Dick is still with Mac. Mac hands the phone down to Dick.

Wallace says quietly, "I don't know exactly what happened. There was a pretty skanky woman involved..."

Dick replies, "There's always a woman when Logan fights."

Wallace finishes, "...And her boyfriend beat the shit out of Logan. I think the woman kinda set him up for it, she just had a little smile on her face."

"And Logan went for it," Dick finishes. "Is he okay?"

"Well, he's drunk, and he's hurting. He says he doesn't need to see a doctor, and I think he'll be okay in a day or two, just bruises. But I called because he's really depressed, and I don't think he should be alone. Is there any way you can come here?"

"We're in Vegas...we could drive back to Neptune in the morning, and after I drop off Mac, I can head up there. Will he be alright tonight?"

Wallace considers. "If we stay until he falls asleep, I think he'll be okay until you get here. Piz is here too."

"Piz is there? Oh, bitchin', that'll perk Logan right up," Dick says sarcastically.

"Yeah, I know."

----------

After Weevil leaves, Veronica accesses PryingEyez, hoping to learn a little more about the Mannings before attending their church tomorrow. She runs a credit report, and is surprised to see that the Mannings have recently taken out a second mortgage on their home. She thinks, _The Mannings won two lawsuits, one against the school board and another against the Casablancas family. The suit against the Casablancas was settled for a small amount, but they were awarded half a million dollars in their suit against the school board. Even if they've spent a lot of money pursuing Duncan and their granddaughter, they shouldn't need to take out a second mortgage._ She peruses the report. The Mannings are significantly strapped for funds; Lizzie is attending San Diego State as a commuter and is receiving financial aid. Grace has withdrawn from Convent of the Sacred Heart Girls School and is registered in the Neptune public school system. _I would never think that they would allow her to mix with the Satanic public school students after what happened to Meg._

Her cell rings. "Hey Dad."

Keith suggests that they should go to the shooting range again tomorrow after church. "Veronica, with what happened last night, I think both of us could use the extra practice. They're open until 8:00 on Sundays, how about I pick you up at 4:00?"

She agrees, thinking that a little target practice might help her sleep better at night.

----------

Logan is in the bathroom trying to apply a large Band-Aid to the worst of his cuts. His hands are bruised and shaking, and he's making a mess of it.

Piz, sitting in the living room, watches for a minute, then comes into the bathroom. "Let me help, I remember what it's like." Their eyes meet, then they avoid looking at each other. Piz throws out the Band-Aid, reapplies ointment and carefully places a new one over the cut. "Do you have any Tylenol?"

"Percocet."

"I'm thinking just plain Tylenol would be better right now. You're pretty hammered, I don't want to read about you dying in your sleep tonight." Piz searches through the medicine cabinet and finds an almost empty bottle of Tylenol and gives two to Logan with a glass of water. "What happened tonight anyway?"

"There was a woman who was totally bad news and I went after her anyway. And her boyfriend sucker-punched me. Cold-cocked, you might say," he says ironically.

"Uh-huh, that blows," Piz agrees, remembering.

"I was a moron to mess with her...D'you ever talk to Veronica anymore?" Logan can't help asking.

"No, not in a while. Wallace and I call her 'the one of whom we do not speak'. When I got the opportunity to move the radio show up here to L.A., we were sort of on-again, off-again. She could never really take the next step; it was really like friends-with-benefits for her, but I wanted more. So when I got the job, I took it. Los Angeles is a better city for me to be in for what I want to do, and I'm looking for more of a relationship than she could ever give me."

"How can you be so calm about it?" Logan asks. "You're just so...matter-of-fact."

"She was never very into it with me, it was always a rebound thing for her. She was still in love with you the whole time," Piz answers, a little bitter.

Logan looks at him, not really believing him. "You know, I can't be with her, and I can't be without her either, and I don't know what that leaves."

Piz shrugs. "Have you ever told her?"

"I wouldn't have any idea what to tell her."

"I don't think getting in a bar fight is the way to let her know," Piz says as he leaves the bathroom.


	7. Chapter 29 to Chapter 31

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated.

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Sunday Bloody Sunday  
**Leo's campaign hits a snag; Veronica works it  
at church; Keith attends mass.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Leo: Max Greenfield. Martina Vasquez: Luciana  
Carro. Father Patrick: James Joseph O'Neill.  
DeeDee Bradley: Jill Eikenberry. Eli: Francis  
Capra. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: "SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY"

Leo straightens his tie and checks his reflection. This morning's Channel Nine television interview is crucial in the race for sheriff, and he knows his natural good looks and charm are two of his best assets. The television station's makeup person knocks on his door. "Deputy D'Amato, can we get started on your makeup and hair?"

Leo responds, "Okay, just make sure it's very natural looking. I'm not trying to look like a movie star."

"Yes, Deputy, that's not a problem."

While Leo is getting made up, an assistant comes in and conducts the pre-interview. "Okay, Deputy, we're going to start with your career highlights, and then we'll speak about the changes you would make in the department. Do you have a slogan we can mention?"

"Yes, 'Justice for All in Neptune'."

"Got it," the assistant says, writing on her clipboard. "Good luck out there, don't forget to smile."

----------

Veronica gets out of her car and straightens her skirt. After much internal debate, she decided that the look she needed was 'slutty, but trying to hide it'. Her skirt is just a little too short for church; her low-cut top is definitely too revealing, but she's wearing a slightly too small cardigan over it, so that you can't easily see her cleavage, but it's there for the discerning eye. She's wearing tinted glasses, long dangling earrings, and her black curly wig, styled with barrettes. She checks her purse to make sure she has all the accessories she needs.

She walks into the First Presbyterian Evangelical Church of Neptune, taking a program from a stack at the door. The Mars were not religious; she smiles a little, thinking of how her dad uses Christmas as an excuse to decorate a pine tree with baseball memorabilia. Her grandparents took her to church a few times, but it never 'stuck'. Veronica picks a pew near the rear of the church. She looks around and is surprised at how many familiar faces she sees: Mrs. Applebaum, her second-grade teacher; Woody Goodman's campaign worker/paramour, Jennifer Stansfield; Mrs. Sansone, who foolishly gave Landry a fake alibi; Mr. and Mrs. Dohanic; even a few Neptune High classmates: Kevin Carney, Gabrielle Pollard, and Howard Grigsby. And oh my god, Harmony Chase. Then the Mannings come in; Stewart, Rose, Lizzie and Grace ostentatiously head for a pew at the very front of the church. Veronica considers the fact that many of the pious attendees actually have sordid histories.

Reverend Bradley stands behind a lectern. Veronica's mind drifts; these familiar faces have her worrying again about all the people in Neptune who have reasons to hate her. She mentally shakes her head, thinking that as far as the Mannings go, she doesn't have any regrets; Duncan's daughter looked happy, even living on the run. As she tries to pay attention to the service, a woman takes the reverend's place at the lectern to give a reading. Veronica looks at her program and realizes that this is DeeDee Bradley. She has a very conservative look, with hair shellacked into place, subtle makeup, and a below-the-knee dress in an understated print. Veronica is sure that she's never seen her before.

----------

At St. Mary's, Keith thinks about the last time he went to church. Lianne's parents were devout Catholics, and they always disapproved of Keith's agnostic stance on religion. Whenever he and Lianne went to visit, he was compelled to attend services with them. The last mass he attended was shortly before Lianne's mother died. That death was one of the triggers for Lianne's worsening battle with alcoholism.

Even though it's been years, he remembers to check the missalette for the symbols that tell him when to sit, stand and kneel. He's surprised to find the service oddly comforting, and realizes that it's the ordinariness of the service that is appealing, and the simple decency of many of the elderly Hispanic and Irish women around him. Keith isn't surprised at the gender imbalance; from his days as sheriff, he recalls that not a few men from this neighborhood spent Saturday night in the drunk tank. He sees a few people he remembers from the old days as Sheriff; most seem to harbor no ill feelings or are even glad to see him at the church. Before communion, when Father Patrick urges the congregation to greet each other with the sign of peace, Keith's neighbor shake his hand and welcome him to the church with no reluctance.

Father Patrick is a good speaker: his voice is compelling and strong, and his message is clear and well-considered. The sermon on the sacrificial lamb is interesting. Father Patrick begins by speaking of the Old Testament meaning, referring to Abraham as 'the father of all who believe'. He discusses Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac to demonstrate his faith in God, saying that God tests us all, every day, to prove our faith. Father Patrick speaks of the everyday sacrifices that are made for the common good, without possibility of personal gain, and refers to the anonymous benefactor who donated the funds for 'The Bridge', the battered wives shelter. He continues by discussing the sacrifice of innocent people in order to serve God's incomprehensible plan and the necessity of faith to survive in the face of such tragedy. Father Patrick stops speaking for a brief moment, and looks directly at Keith. He brings the sermon to a close thematically by referring to the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who died to atone for the sins of man.

After the service, Keith waits in line to shake Father Patrick's hand. As Father Patrick grasps his hand in a firm handshake, Keith says, "You're right, the sermon was very interesting."

Father Patrick replies, "The loss of a family member is one of the most difficult tests that God gives us."

Keith says, "I'm not sure that God was responsible for my particular sacrifice."

"Make no mistake, Keith; the Lord is ultimately responsible for all of life's trials and victories. You would do well to remember that," Father Patrick intones.

----------

Leo's interview begins on a positive note. The interviewer, Martina Vasquez, welcomes Leo to her show, and asks Leo to discuss his positive vision for Neptune. Leo talks about increasing patrols in areas that are currently under served and instituting traffic enforcement reviews to ensure that parking and speeding tickets are written fairly, without regard to wealth, status or ethnicity.

"Well, Deputy D'Amato, it seems that you are quite interested in protecting all of Neptune's residents, not just the wealthy. Yet it was your negligence that directly led to the theft of the videotapes of Aaron Echolls and Lilly Kane, which was one of the primary reasons for the acquittal of Mr. Echolls, who was certainly one of our more...shall we say?...prominent Neptune residents," Martina says, indelicately.

Leo clears his throat. It's obvious now that this interview is intended to be a hatchet job. "Well, Martina, actually the official statement implicated the general lax security at the sheriff's depart-"

Martina interrupts, reading from a sheet of paper. "The official statement is crystal clear. 'Although no single cause can directly account for the theft, the primary factor appears to be insufficient oversight by the designated caretakers. Most notably, Deputy Leo D'Amato.' How can the town of Neptune be satisfied that there will 'sufficient oversight' in the future?"

Leo takes a breath, and plunges in. "Martina, I was dismissed from the Sheriff's office for the mistake you're referring to. After a year of working in private security, I was recruited by then-Sheriff Mars to rejoin the force. Sheriff Mars led the investigation into the security breach, and if he can be confident that I deserved a second chance in the Neptune Sheriff's Department, so can the town of Neptune. Since my reinstatement, my record has been above reproach. I have received five commendations from the Mayor's office and a special letter of recognition from the FBI. The theft of the tapes was a direct result of my inexperience at that time. I have since completed specialized training in investigative techniques, sensitivity issues, computer crime and civil rights law. I have personally solved three murder cases, including one that was left over from the tenure of Don Lamb."

"Speaking of Keith Mars, what is your relationship with the Mars family? The gossip is that at one point you were dating Mr. Mars' daughter, Veronica, who as we all know was a star witness in Mr. Echolls' trial," Martina says smarmily.

"Veronica and I remain friendly, after a brief relationship that concluded more than three and a half years ago. Mr. Mars is a mentor and colleague, with whom I have an excellent professional relationship," Leo replies staunchly.

"It's quite an intricate connection to the Mars family, is it not?" Martina smiles.

----------

Veronica waits until the church has mostly cleared out. She then seeks out Mrs. Bradley. "Mrs. Bradley? I was wondering if I could speak to you. You sounded so...kind...when you spoke today. I really need someone to talk to." Veronica dabs at her eyes with her handkerchief. Using an old actor's trick, she has pre-applied Vicks VapoRub to the handkerchief; her eyes immediately well up with tears.

"Oh, dear. Wouldn't you rather speak to my husband? He's much better at counseling..." DeeDee says nervously.

"No, no...I can't bear to speak to a man. You see, I was abused by...a teacher, when I was very young," Veronica improvises, thinking that sexual abuse fits right into her cover story.

"All right. Just wait in my office for a minute, I have to say goodbye to the parishioners. I'll be right with you." DeeDee motions to an office down the hall.

_She's letting me go in her office alone? Obviously she hasn't recognized me as Veronica Mars,_ Veronica thinks gleefully. She goes in the office; she sees that the computer is booted up. She quickly pulls out a flash drive, and copies DeeDee's email and a file labeled "Personal Correspondence" onto it. She pokes her head out into the hallway; still not sign of DeeDee, so Veronica rushes back to the computer and copies her browser history and a Quicken personal finance file. She ejects the flash drive and arranges herself in the chair across from the desk. She uses the adulterated handkerchief to bring on the tears again and is weeping by the time DeeDee enters the room.

"There, there," DeeDee says ineffectively. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"It's...it's my boyfriend. He wants me to...I can't even say it."

"Go on," DeeDee urges.

"It was bad enough before. He made me get an abortion. I know it's murder. But I'm all alone, I left home and came here with him when I was sixteen. My parents never believed me when I told them that my teacher abused me. They called me a whore and kicked me out." Veronica realizes she's enjoying the drama a little too much, and she'd better cool it. "Now, my boyfriend says we need money, and he wants to sleep with his friends, for money. I told him I'm not a hooker, and he just laughed and said if I want him to support me anymore, I'd better do it, or I'll be out on the streets."

"Oh my God, that's awful. What's your name, honey?"

Veronica says, "Lisa. Lisa McNeil. What am I going to do? I never graduated from high school, I can't support myself."

DeeDee sighs. "Lisa, you can do anything you put your mind to." Conspiratorially, she leans forward toward Veronica. "Honey, can you keep a secret? When I was your age, I was a prostitute. My boyfriend was as bad as yours sounds. He used to beat me if I didn't bring home enough money. I was lucky, a public defender helped me to find a battered women's shelter and with their help I got my GED. I went to college and I met my husband. We're not rich, but we spend our lives helping people and ministering to the lost souls of the world. You can do anything you want with your life, Lisa."

She rifles through her desk. "Can you get to San Diego? There's a new women's shelter that's being planned in Neptune, but it won't be open for a while. The closest shelter is in San Diego. I know the woman who runs it." She pulls out a business card and a brochure. "Here's the information and my card. I want you to go home, pack, and go straight there. Do you need bus fare?"

Veronica shakes her head, thinking, _I think this woman's for real._ "No, I have a car."

"Lisa, I want you to call me in a couple days. Will you give me permission to talk to my husband about you? He's an excellent counselor. I know you don't have a lot of faith in men right now, but I'm sure he would be happy to help you."

Veronica mumbles, "Okay. I'll go tonight."

"No, this afternoon...take it from me, you want to get out of there now." DeeDee hugs Veronica and escorts her out of the church.

Veronica walks to her car, keeping up her upset demeanor in case DeeDee is watching. As she pulls out of the parking lot, she thinks, _DeeDee is the nicest woman I've met in quite a while._

----------

Logan wakes up with a terrific hangover. His whole body hurts. Apparently, one of the boyfriend's kicks connected with his rib. From past experience, he decides it's only a bruise, but it hurts like a mother. He finds a note on the kitchen counter. It's from Wallace.

_Logan-_

Your refrigerator seemed a little empty, so Piz and I bought you some food. We talked to Dick last night and he said he's coming up to visit you. He'll be here around dinnertime Sunday night. I'm still here visiting Piz for the weekend if you need anything. My cell number is 619-555-1225.

Wallace

Wallace's simple kindness, especially considering Logan's previous rough treatment of Piz, makes Logan want to weep.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Disclosure  
**Keith investigates Father Patrick; Veronica and  
Keith go to the shooting range and share; Dick  
visits Logan after the bar fight.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Father Patrick: James Joseph O'Neill. Logan:  
Jason Dohring. Dick: Ryan Hansen.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTY: DISCLOSURE

Veronica decides that the information on DeeDee Bradley that she has copied onto her flash drive can wait. She makes a slight detour on her way home and drives past the Manning house. She is shocked to see the state of the house. It was never the grandest house in a neighborhood of large mansions, but it was always kept in perfect repair. Now, the white picket fence is missing a section, and is dire need of repainting. The lawn is unkempt, and the plantings are overgrown or dying. There are no potted plants on the porch anymore. The whole house needs painting as well. The Mannings' car looks to be about a five-year old Ford Taurus, which has also seen better days. _What happened here?_ she wonders.

----------

After leaving the mass, Keith decides he has enough time before meeting Veronica to do some discreet investigating of Father Patrick. He pulls into a parking spot across the street from the church and begins to watch the priest's residence through a telephoto lens. He sees Father Patrick get into his car, and drive off, and Keith follows him several cars back.

Keith manages to maintain several cars between him and Father Patrick for a few miles, then as they approach the outskirts of town, they become the only cars on the road. At a diner just outside the city limits, Father Patrick pulls in and Keith has no choice but to continue on. He circles the block at the first opportunity and returns to the diner, once again parking across the street and observing with his telephoto lens.

After a half an hour, Keith is rewarded for his patience when he sees Patrick emerge from the diner with Vinnie Van Lowe. He rapidly takes a series of photos. As they get in their cars and leave the parking lot, Keith pretends to be searching in his glove compartment as they drive by. He sits up and wonders what business Vinnie has with Father Patrick.

----------

Keith meets Veronica at the apartment and as they drive to El Cajon Shooting Range, they compare notes on their mornings. Veronica has accessed the files on her flash drive and has only confirmed that reverends don't make a lot of money, and that DeeDee seems to be a kindhearted woman. Keith agrees with Veronica that DeeDee doesn't appear to merit further investigation. When Keith tells Veronica about Father Patrick meeting Vinnie, she pretends to gasp. "Sounds like a clue, Dad," she says ironically. "What reason would they have to meet clandestinely?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that when it comes to the Fitzpatricks, you're going to let me take the lead."

Once they get to the shooting range, Veronica shoots well using traditional targets. Keith suggests they try a more challenging practice, and asks Billy, the manager at El Cajon, to set up the urban tactical simulation. As Veronica moves through a movie-like set that looks like a city, with grimy 'buildings', fake sidewalks and plantings, she has to discern whether the targets that pop up are friend or foe and to quickly make a snap judgment whether to shoot or hold her fire. She does well enough for her first time, clearing the course with a passing score, but she realizes she needs much more practice, and vows to return soon.

Driving back to Neptune that evening, Keith notices a set of headlights behind them. He doesn't think anything of it at first, but as the miles goes by, he begins to worry.

Veronica notices him looking in the rear view mirror more often than usual and asks, "Is someone behind us?"

"I'm sure it's nothing. It's just that they've been behind us for ten miles, since we left El Cajon, and there's not much on this road."

Just then, they both hear an engine revving. Veronica turns around and looks back; Keith speeds up and asks her if she can see anything. She says, "I think they turned their headlights off."

Keith takes a curve a little too fast, and Veronica has to grab the dashboard to avoid slamming into her father. He orders, "Veronica, get my gun from the glove compartment and then get down. No arguing!" Veronica does as he asks, and keeps quiet.

Keith sees that they are approaching a long straight-away; he guns the accelerator, and Veronica, hunched over, involuntarily gives a little shriek. "Hold on, Veronica!" He suddenly switches off the headlights as he stands on the brake, the tires squealing in protest; he quickly turns into a dirt road, spins the steering wheel and turns back onto the highway in the opposite direction, turning on his high beams.

He narrowly misses the car, which speeds off; he is able to see a partial California license plate GYK something. "Veronica, it's okay, I think they're gone. Can you help me remember the license? GYK, California plates. A dark sedan, maybe a Taurus."

Veronica slides back up onto the seat, shaking. "Dad, if I had been alone, I couldn't have done that."

"Well, maybe it's time to learn. We'll have some driving lessons--we'll go out to the desert and practice," Keith replies. "Honey, I think there's a restaurant up ahead. Let's get some dinner before we head back. I'm still a little shook up. And, Veronica...I haven't been completely honest with you. It's high time I told you why I was late to meet you in New York City two years ago, and what happened to Kendall Casablancas. I'm worried we're paying the price now."

----------

At the diner, sitting in a booth in the back, Veronica is still aghast that her father gave all of Kendall's money to the Neptune food bank. "You did what?? Let me get this straight, Kendall hired you to provide her with a new identity, then you helped her to hook up with the convict Cormac. Then Vinnie followed you, leading Liam to his brother. Liam killed Kendall and Cormac, but didn't realize that the money had been used to buy a painting; then you sold the painting and DONATED the money to a charity, instead of sending me to the Ivy League??"

"Well, when you put it like that...I didn't know what was going to happen," Keith finished lamely.

"I don't ever want to hear another lecture about unintended consequences...Oh my god, that's what Liam was talking about in the River Stix," Veronica realizes.

"When were you in the River Stix?" Keith asks, puzzled.

Veronica explains.

_FLASHBACK: Veronica and Meryl are hunting for Meryl's errant boyfriend, Sully. They've tracked his cell phone to the River Stix. Liam Fitzpatrick comes up behind Veronica, unseen, and, somewhat menacingly, grabs her in a bear hug, swinging her around the bar. She cries out, "Let me down!"_

Liam retorts, "Are you here to lecture us on stealing now?" While Veronica struggles, Liam dances around, holding her fast in his grip. "It's not enough your dad put half my family in jail. Not that I hold a grudge. No! Fair play, Sheriff." He spins her around, singing with the juke box, "And a-roving, a-roving, a-roving I'll go for a pair of brown eyes...You see, now I got a real problem, 'cause private investigator Mars sticks his nose into my business, and he helps that Casablancas bitch check out of Neptune with millions in my cash."

As Veronica relates the story, Keith become more and more livid. "He said that? 'Fair play, Sheriff.' I'll kill him. How the hell did you get out of there?"

"Vinnie was there. He pretended to send you a picture message of what was going on with his cell phone, and got Liam to let me go," Veronica admits. "Vinnie warned me to stay out of the River Stix."

"Amazing, Vinnie Van Lowe gave you good advice. I hope you took it. Dammit, Veronica!"

"Yes, Dad, that's the last time I was in there. And I didn't even want to go in, Meryl rushed in even though I told her to wait until we called for help. You still haven't 'splained giving that money away to charity, Dad," she says teasingly, trying to distract her father.

"Veronica, how could I have explained that money in the first place? In the second place, the Fitzpatricks would have come after us immediately to try to take it away."

"But you said that Liam still thinks you do have it. And we both know that Vinnie was working for him. Liam supported Vinnie against you in the sheriff's race. Do you think Vinnie knows about the Casablancas money?"

"He does, they hired him to try and find it, telling him that they thought I had it stashed away. He tried to get me to go halves on the retainer; said if I turned in the money, he'd split the Fitzpatrick's fee with me. Typical Vinnie ploy."

"Dad, I can't believe you never told me about this."

----------

"Logan, what the hell happened?" Dick says as he walks into Logan's beach house.

"It's not a big deal." Logan is laying on the couch, flipping through channels on the flat screen TV. "You didn't have to come."

Dick flops onto a chair. "Wallace said you were pretty messed up. I was worried."

"You didn't have to cut short your weekend. How it's go with Mac? I still can't believe you're hanging out with her."

"She's totally hyphy at the blackjack table. This card-counting shit that she does, it's muy loco."

"So all you did was gamble?"

"Unh-uh, I did manage to slip her the hot beef injection."

Logan laughs, then grimaces in pain. "Shit, don't make me laugh."

"Seriously, Logan, what's with the emocidal shit?"

"I just fucked up, hit on the wrong girl at a bar," Logan replies. "Could you make a beer run?"

Dick hesitates.

Logan wheedles, "C'mon, dude, just some beer. I'm not gonna get wasted."

Dick finally agrees. They spend a relatively quiet night playing 'Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball'. Dick surreptitiously watches Logan all night, worrying about his friend.

----------

Keith and Veronica are wolfing down two pieces of apple pie a la mode at the diner. "You know, Veronica, it's not possible to have a bad piece of apple pie."

"Mmm-hmmm," she replies, her mouth full.

"So when are you going to tell me about the Mannings? I don't think you volunteered to check out DeeDee Bradley in church today because she seemed so suspicious."

"You noticed the connection?" she says warily.

"It's been a long while since I fell off the turnip truck, honey," he says. "It came out at the Echolls trial that you broke into the Mannings' house; do you want to tell me why you broke in?"

"Well, in the spirit of full disclosure and amnesty, do you promise not to get mad?" she asks.

He takes another bite, and just raises his eyebrows.

"When Meg was in the coma, Duncan had her laptop, and he found out that Meg was speaking to Child Protective Services about an abused child she was baby-sitting. You found the letters in my room when Duncan kidnapped his daughter, remember? But when we first found the letters, we didn't know that Meg was speaking about her own sister; we thought it was one of the kids she was baby-sitting. So Duncan and I investigated all of Meg's regular baby-sitting clients, who were all total freak shows, by the way, but none seemed like actual abusers. In desperation," she sneaks a look at her dad to see how he's taking the new information, "we broke into Meg's house to find more information."

"And? What did you find?"

"The abused child was Grace Manning, Meg's little sister. We found her journal, filled with one sentence, written over and over, 'The path to God is paved with righteousness'. Then we discovered Grace locked in a closet. Grace said something about 'being tested'. Mr. Manning came home and found us; he called Sheriff Lamb, who arrested us."

"What? You got arrested??"

"Actually, I don't think he really did arrest us. He stopped a block away from the Mannings and let us go. I think Lamb believed our story, but he pretended to arrest us so it would look to Stewart Manning like he was doing his job. Nothing was ever said about it again until the trial, and you know that Lamb didn't miss many opportunities to hold something over me."

Rubbing his chin, Keith thinks about Veronica's story. "You truly were convinced that Manning was abusing his daughter? And that's why you helped Duncan get out of the country?"

"Meg made me swear not to let the Mannings keep her baby. She was worried they would arrange an adoption with an ultra-religious family even worse than her own," Veronica explains.

"And you think the Mannings might be punishing you with these letters and the frame job? That journal does sound a little like the letters. But what's the connection to Lianne and Wiedman?"

"I don't know, it doesn't make sense. Duncan said yesterday that it didn't make sense to him either. He thought they were more likely to sue me, as they did the Casablancas and the school board."

"I agree. The Mannings just don't seem like murderers to me. But I think someone today got scared, I don't know if it was someone who saw me or you, but the car following us was a reaction. We're making somebody nervous," Keith says.

"Dad, what about going home tonight? What's to say that that car won't be following us again when we leave?" Veronica worries.

"It's under control, honey."

Just then a policeman walks in to the diner and looks around. He spies Keith and walks over to their table. "Hey, Keith, long time no see."

"Would you like a little pie before we get going?" Keith asks. "Veronica, this is an old friend of mine, Patrolman Lundell. He's going to tail us back to the Neptune city limits, where Leo's going to meet us."

Veronica smiles, relieved. Then she has a thought. "Dad, Leo can't follow us around forever. I think we should get different cars for a while."

"Veronica, we can't afford to buy new cars, or even rent cars."

"That's not what I had in mind."

----------

Under Leo's escort, Keith and Veronica drive to Eli's uncle's chop shop. Eli and Angel are waiting for them, with a grey Honda Accord for Keith and a black Nissan Maxima for Veronica. Eli says, "They're both V6's, so you have a little power to get out of trouble if you need it. Full air bags, and not the bullshit remanufactured ones that might or might not work."

Keith shakes Eli's and Angel's hands. "Thanks, Eli, Angel. Veronica told me about what's been going on. I can't condone auto theft, but I'll stop by tomorrow to see if I have any ideas how to help you that I can live with."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Minority Report  
**Wallace, Mac and Leo suggest alternative theories.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Leo: Max Greenfield. Richard Rosenthal: Dan  
Futterman.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: "MINORITY REPORT"

Keith runs the partial plate he got the night before. GYK something. Unfortunately, the system shows that there are several thousand cars with that license plate in Balboa County. When he filters the search by adding the make and model, Ford Taurus, he has twenty-seven hits. He scrolls down the list. To his surprise, he sees a car registered to Stewart Manning.

Wallace, back from his weekend adventures in Los Angeles, enters Mars Investigations. "Yo, Keith, how was your weekend?"

"Exciting." Keith fills Wallace in on the events of the weekend: Duncan's reappearance; Veronica's elimination of DeeDee Bradley as a suspect; Father Patrick's meeting with Vinnie Van Lowe and the car that attempted to run him and Veronica off the road.

"Damn, I thought I had an exciting weekend." Wallace tells Keith about helping Cooper with his internet bimbo, which has Keith in stitches.

"Piz said 'keep the pizza with our compliments'?" Keith laughs.

"That's not even everything. We ran into Logan, he was getting his ass handed to him in a bar fight. We broke it up and got him home."

"Is he all right?" Keith asks, more seriously.

"I guess so, it was a bad scene. That boy has issues."

Keith thinks that he will give Logan a call later. "Don't tell Veronica about Logan, okay?"

"You crazy? I'm not getting involved in that," Wallace swears.

"Wallace, I'm going to follow up on a lead on the car from last night. I have some insurance forms I need you to type up from my notes; those need to go out today. Then I'd like you to check out Richard Rosenthal. It's my impression that he's a long shot; he has no history of violence of any kind, and I don't think it's very dangerous. I'd like you to review all the information we have on him, and just do some routine surveillance, see if there's anything worth pursuing. No taking chances and no overnight stakeouts, please, I have enough to worry about with my daughter," Keith says seriously.

"Mrs. Fennel didn't raise no Chuck Norris," Wallace says wryly.

"Okay, check in with me throughout the day, let me know."

"You just leave it to me, Keith, I know I can tickle the twine."

----------

After her morning classes, Veronica meets up with Mac in the Food Court for lunch. "So how was the big weekend? I can't believe you spent the whole weekend with _Dick_!"

Mac shrugs. "We had a really fun time. He'll never be a card shark, though."

"No big surprise there. Wait until you hear what happened over the weekend. You'll never guess who the blond guy is...and somebody tried to run me and my dad off the road." Veronica tells Mac the details of her weekend.

"So somebody was upset about seeing either you or your Dad at church yesterday?" Mac asks. "Veronica, this sounds really dangerous."

"So that means we have to work even harder to figure out who had a reason to kill my mom and frame me."

"What if you were just a convenient patsy? I'm sorry, Veronica, but maybe it's not personal. You and your dad are famous in this town. You told me yourself that it's caused some problems with your dad's P.I. business, that he's been too recognizable to really be an effective snoop. And you couldn't go anywhere after the Echolls trial without someone pointing and staring at you."

"Yeah, my STD was not exactly on the down low, right?" Veronica asks sardonically. "Not my finest hour."

"So maybe you should be looking more at why your mother was shot. Her history. You said she was arrested in Texas for drugs. Maybe this was about a drug deal gone wrong."

"But why would Clarence Wiedman care about a drug deal? He's not involved with drugs at all. And we know from the eyewitness and forensic evidence on my mom's body that he killed her," Veronica replies.

"I don't know, I'm just saying, maybe it's not personal. Maybe those threatening letters your dad is getting aren't part of this. It's not like there's only one wacko in Neptune," Mac says reasonably.

"Okay, point taken. But then why try to attack me and Dad last night? Let's see if we can eliminate the Mannings as a suspect. If it is personal, that family definitely hates me. The only strange thing I've found so far is that they seem to be broke. They always had plenty of money when we were in high school, they won a lawsuit, and Mr. Manning hasn't lost his job. There must be a reason why they've seem to lost all their money."

Mac asks, "What about Lizzie? Do you think she would talk to you about her family? In high school she wasn't the biggest fan of her parents."

"Yeah, but she turned into a Stepford Wife after the bus crash."

"I bet that was just for show; her parents probably came down on her hard when they learned that Meg was preggers. You said she was at San Diego State, right? Why don't we go try to talk to her, away from her parents? At the very least, we'll see how much she hates you," Mac suggests.

Veronica thinks. "All right, it's a plan. But I think with everything that's happened I want backup, and I don't mean my dog. Let's see what time Weevil gets off work."

----------

Picking up the phone, Keith says, "Mars Investigations."

"Hey, Keith, it's Leo."

"Leo, I'm sorry about the interview yesterday." Keith had TiVo'd the interview; he was distressed to see Leo squirming about his connection to the Mars family.

"Yes, well...I'm not giving up. Vinnie has a lot more to hide than I do, and the interview just toughened me up a little bit. The worst is over, and my numbers can only get better from here," Leo responds.

"I have an idea about going after Vinnie. I'll be in touch about it later; I have to do a little thinking how to work it first because I want to make sure that your end will be squeaky clean. What's going on in the meantime?"

"Keith, I've been double-checking the Kanes' alibi for the murder of Clarence Wiedman. Unless they hired a hitter, they are clear. They provided security footage from the guard booth to Pemberton Estates for the entire weekend that shows that they didn't leave the estates from Thursday evening to Monday morning. I asked to lab guys to check the encoding on the video; they assure me that the video is time-stamped and hasn't been altered in any way. And I've spoken to several employees at Kane software; Wiedman hasn't been employed there for quite some time, and no one has seen or heard of him since he was fired. By the way, no one seems to know why he was fired, but it's clear that it was over a personal dispute with Jake, and not connected in any way with Kane Software. If the Kanes hired him as a contract killer, they planned this six months ago, fired Wiedman and waited until now to execute their plan. I think that's taking revenge as a dish best served cold to an extreme."

Keith says, "I agree. I've also found out that the Kanes are trying to get amnesty for Duncan, and it seems likely that they wouldn't risk another murder that might ruin that deal. The Kanes have always been willing to do anything for Duncan, and Lianne's and Wiedman's murders just don't fit into that scenario."

Leo adds, "The district attorney mentioned that they are close to a deal that would clear Duncan in Lilly Kane's murder. Apparently, the Kanes' attorneys have made it clear that they would use the prosecution's own case against Aaron Echolls to raise reasonable doubt that Duncan killed his sister, and without Aaron Echolls to testify, it seems likely that the Kanes would prevail. Of course, they still have to get amnesty for Duncan regarding the Manning kidnapping."

"What's happening with that, by the way? Veronica has the crazy idea that the Mannings hate her enough to frame her for murder," Keith posits.

"Well, the Mannings are not the most rational people in Neptune. And on the topic of the kidnapping, they are positively psychotic. Stewart Manning still visits Vinnie at least once a week, asking what progress they've made in the case. You know, I think Vinnie knows something about the kidnapping, he's always in a great mood after Stewart leaves, chuckling to himself."

"That's interesting." Keith makes a mental note to ask Veronica about Vinnie's involvement in the kidnapping. Now that she's told him about breaking in to the Mannings' house, he's hoping she'll finally tell him all the details about Duncan's great escape.

"Keith, I've been working on tracing Lianne's whereabouts after her release from rehab. It seems that she spent some time in Phoenix. Does she have any friends or family there?" Leo asks.

Keith tells Leo about Lianne's friend, Adrianna. While Leo talks about going to Phoenix to talk to Adrianna, Keith thinks about rehab, and wonders if there might be some information to be gained from Lianne's stay there. Perhaps as Lianne's ex-husband, he can convince the counselors to speak to him about her treatment. He sighs internally, dreading the prospect of learning more about Lianne's life since she left Neptune.

----------

Wallace is parked outside Richard Rosenthal's house. _Stakeouts always sounded a lot more exciting when Veronica talked about them_, he thinks. He's been here parked for hours. Fortunately, he has plenty of engineering homework to keep him busy.

When Wallace is just about to give up and call it a day, Rosenthal exits the side door and gets in his car to leave. Wallace thinks about Keith's prohibition on taking chances and decides following Rosenthal discreetly is well within his directive. He carefully drives behind Rosenthal, at one point allowing another car to get between them by not running a yellow light. He sees Rosenthal parking outside a Frog's Fitness health club and decides that he can risk going into the health club as well. _This is one thing I can do that Keith could never pull off._ Wallace, finding some workout gear in the trunk of his car, purchases a day pass at the check-in desk and enters the gym. Rosenthal is working on an elliptical trainer and Wallace takes the machine next to him.

"Hey," he says to Rosenthal, and begins to work out. Wallace remembers that Rosenthal was arrested for soliciting a male prostitute and is thinking about how to strike up a conversation when he notices Rosenthal's t-shirt prominently says, 'Harvard'. _Isn't that where Wiedman went to college?_

After working out for ten minutes, Rosenthal stops the elliptical trainer and says, ruefully, "Man, you're in great shape. Even when I was your age, I never had that kind of endurance."

Wallace is a little concerned about the implications of endurance, but he plays it straight, and replies, "I play varsity b-ball at Hearst, the coach makes us run wind sprints all the time. I'm not tall, so I have to make up for it by running a lot. You know, I gotta run three steps for every one a seven-footer takes."

"Basketball, huh?"

"Yeah, do you follow the game?"

"Well, not so much college ball, but, yeah, I'm a Clippers fan. Hey, do you think you could spot me on some weights?" Rosenthal answers.

"Sure." Wallace steps off the machine and follows Rosenthal over to the weight training area. "So, I usually work out at school, but I've been checking out some of the local gyms instead. Is this a good gym?"

"Yeah, I like it. I'm surprised you would want to pay for a gym when you could work out at school for free." Rosenthal lays down on the bench and begins to work with the barbells.

Wallace is ready for the question. "Well, there's a guy, we had a little thang, and now he's just not ready to move on, and I am." Wallace mentally crosses his fingers, thinking what he knows about gay life would fit in his pinky. He spots Rosenthal as he works out.

"I know what you mean. I had a guy stalking me at Harvard, it got pretty intense," Rosenthal says.

Nodding at Rosenthal's T-shirt, Wallace says, "Harvard? Is that where you went to school? There's not too many Harvard grads on the West Coast, are there?"

"There's actually quite a few Harvard alums at Kane Software. One of my friends from Harvard recruited me, you actually probably read about him in the paper. Clarence Wiedman? It was tragic, somehow he got mixed up in a murder and was killed himself. He helped me with my little stalker problem at Harvard and we kept in touch ever since." Rosenthal cradles the barbell, sits up and allows Wallace to change places.

"You knew Clarence Wiedman?" Wallace doesn't have to act surprised; he can't believe he's actually hit pay dirt. He lays down on the bench and begins to lift the weights.

"Yeah, he was always a really intense guy, but totally loyal to his friends. He spent quite a bit of time in the armed forces, all very hush-hush, I think Special Ops or something. Scary, but in a really sexy way."

"Were you guys more than friends or something?" Wallace can't believe what Rosenthal is implying.

"No, when I knew Clarence he was strictly hetero. But I always wondered. I usually can tell these things. He was bottled up pretty tight. And his divorce was messy. He never gave me the gory details, but let's just say I wouldn't be surprised. You know, he had very limited visitation rights with his son. Judges in Balboa County can be very conservative, you know."

"Yeah, you're right about that. So are you pissed that girl isn't behind bars?" Wallace asks.

"Veronica Mars? No, there's no way. Her dad did some work for me one time, he's a great guy, not judgmental at all. And I remember how she got reamed at the Echolls trial. I think someone set her up," Rosenthal says.

"But they had all that evidence against her. And it was her mother..." Wallace continues. He sets the weights in the cradle and sits up.

"No way. When Clarence got fired from Kane Software, there was something else going on in his life. I'm sure he got in over his head with something; he told me about some of the insane risks he took in the special forces, and I'm positive this was just another example."

Wallace thinks he has to talk to Keith right away. "Listen, man, it was great to meet you."

"You too, I hope you join the gym here. I'm usually here at this time every day, come see me again," Rosenthal says hopefully.

" Rosenthal says hopefully.


	8. Chapter 32 to Chapter 34

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated.

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Conspiracy Theory  
**Mars et al investigate the Mannings; Keith  
visits Neptune's 'seedy underbelly'. Veronica:  
Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Lizzie  
Manning: Anastasia Baranova. Angel:  
Hector Atreyu Ruiz. Logan: Jason Dohring  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Liam: Rod Rowland.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: "CONSPIRACY THEORY"

Keith is parked outside the Manning house, surveilling. Seeing that he has an urgent message, he checks his voicemail. Wallace outlines what he has learned from Rosenthal: Clarence Wiedman is possibly gay, or bisexual, and was involved in a messy divorce; Wallace says he thinks Rosenthal isn't involved, but rather they need to refocus their investigation on Wiedman's personal life. Keith ponders the new information, and decides to go over it with Wallace the next day.

In the meantime, Keith decides to check in with Logan Echolls before calling on some of Mannings' neighbors. Wallace's story of the weekend's fight has worried him, and he's not confident in Dick's ability to take care of Logan. His call goes directly to voicemail. "_Hello, you've reached Logan Echolls with today's inspirational message. 'Chaos is a friend of mine.' Bob Dylan. Leave me a message."_

"Hey, Logan, it's Keith. Listen, Wallace mentioned that there had been an incident over the weekend...I'm just hoping you're doing okay. Call me later if you want to talk." Keith sighs as he ends the call.

Keith grabs his uniform cap and clipboard from the back seat. He's dressed as a security guard; he has decided to pose as a security guard looking into some neighborhood break-ins. He knocks on the door of the house next to the Mannings.

"Hello, Mrs...Ferry, right? I'm with Safehouse Security, and I'm investigating some break-ins that have occurred over the last few weeks. The most recent one was last night. I was wondering if you saw anything out of the ordinary, say between 7 pm and 10 pm. Maybe a strange car, a person walking down the street you didn't recognize."

Mrs. Ferry says, "Oh my goodness. Break-ins? That's awful." She thinks a minute, then says, "There wasn't anything like last night. You know, I live alone, and I guess it makes me seem a little creepy, but I watch what's going on in the neighborhood. Last night, Mr. and Mrs. Manning went out to dinner, leaving Grace with a baby-sitter, so I was watching a little more closely than usual. I worry about her, you know, so quiet. There wasn't any cars last night that don't belong here, and there certainly wasn't anybody walking around, except that Mr. McGeary walking his dog. He's always wearing headphones, listening to music. That can't be safe! He won't listen to me; if you speak to him, maybe you could mention it to him."

"I'll be sure to do that, ma'am. I don't think it makes you creepy to keep an eye out, I think it makes you a good neighbor. So about what time did the Mannings return home? We're pretty sure the robbery happened before 10 pm, so if you know they weren't home, it would save me a trip back here to talk to them." Keith smiles disarmingly.

"Oh, they didn't get back until well after eleven o'clock. Oh, I'm so worried. I've gotten fliers from your company; I think I will be getting a security system now."

"That's an excellent idea, Mrs. Ferry. Thanks again for the information."

Keith returns to Mars Investigations and runs Stewart Manning's credit cards. It looks as though the Mannings went out to dinner to a restaurant not far from El Cajon. The bill for $89.06 seems like an excessive amount for a single person, especially for the tee-totalling Mannings. He ponders: would Mr. Manning really menace him and Veronica with his wife in the car? It's probably just a coincidence that they were out for dinner at a restaurant near the highway incident.

----------

Logan comes back to the beach house. He's glad Dick convinced him to go to classes today; for a little while he didn't think about any blonde women at all and he even managed to forget about duplicitous brunettes in bars. Dick is laying on the couch, still wearing his swim trunks after a long afternoon surfing. "I got your mail, dude. You got something from Ve-ro-ni-ca," he says in a singsong, waving a check in the air.

"And you never considered that it's a federal offense to open someone's mail?"

"So sue me. A check for five grand. But no love note," he says, handing Logan the check.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't expect a love note from her." When Dick looks at him questioningly, he adds, "We had a big blowout about her taking too many risks, then I dropped a dime on her to daddy dearest. So..."

"So that's what's bugging you?"

"No, it's what you said, she's in the rearview."

"Uh-huh. Mac told me that she and Veronica have a new business venture, it's a website that does background checks for internet dating. They must be making serious coinage if she can send you five grand," Dick suggests.

"Yeah, I hear there's a lot of married men out there on those sites."

"And women with boyfriends."

"What's your point?" Logan snaps harshly.

"Whoa...no point, just being random."

"Sorry..." Logan says. Trying to change the topic, he says, "So you had fun with Mac over the weekend?"

"Yeah, it was awesome. She cleaned up at the blackjack tables. She tried to teach me but I'm hopeless at counting cards. Maybe I could just be her bodyguard." He makes an hourglass shape in the air.

"Sorry you had to cut your weekend short for me," Logan says quietly.

"S'cool, you would do the same for me. D'you think you'll be up for some surfing tomorrow?" Dick asks. "The right break at Breakwater was totally gnarly today. It sucked you missed it."

"How is it that you bugged me to go to class today but you're here surfing instead of going to class at Hearst?" Logan questions.

"I got a freshman Pi Sig taking notes for me. He's going to write a couple papers for me too," Dick replies. "He wants to do an internship with Ahnold and I promised him an interview with step-daddy. Besides, 'Rocks for Jocks' and 'Intro to Music Theory' are guaranteed A's."

"You got it all figured out, dude."

Dick shrugs.

----------

Angel Navarro shakes Keith's hands enthusiastically. "Thanks for coming by. Eli said you'd be able to help me."

Keith says, "It's not so easy as that. I'm grateful for the cars that you loaned us, but auto theft is serious, and I can't get involved if I want to keep my PI license. But I can pursue a different investigation that I think will ultimately solve your problem. In the meantime, we need to beef up your security here. First, you need to have actual guards on duty at night until this is resolved. Dogs won't cut it, the Fitzpatricks will just take them out. Second, we need full security camera coverage, and it needs to be obvious. As far as your business, do you think you could go completely legit for a short time?"

"If I have to."

"Okay. When you get the next call for a payoff, you're going to let me know all the details."

"So you're going to witness the payoff?" Angel asks.

"Not exactly. The less you know the better," Keith replies.

----------

At San Diego State, Eli, Mac and Veronica get out of Veronica's loaned Maxima. They consult the campus map and find the location of Lizzie's last class of the day that Mac had found by hacking into the registrar's computer.

"The magic fingers of Mac come through again, huh?" Weevil says. "If only you would use your powers for good..."

"What would be the fun in that?" she replies.

They sit on the steps of the building waiting for class to let out. Veronica nervously checks her watch. "Do you think they let class out early?" she says.

Just then the door flies open and a large lecture class lets out. The three stand up quickly and look for Lizzie. Veronica gasps as she spies her, decked out in the latest fashion, with a short skirt and heels and plenty of makeup. "Wow, Lizzie, lookin' good," she says, thinking about yesterday's severe outfit in church.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lizzie snarls.

"Okay, calm down. Vee just wanted to say hello, we're here because I'm thinking of taking some night school classes," Eli says, sticking to their prearranged story.

"And you need Veronica Mars and her geek friend to help you with that? I don't think so. Excuse me, I don't have to talk to any of you."

"Actually you do," Veronica says quietly. She holds up her iPhone. "This gadget is so cool," she says faux-enthusiastically, "it takes two-megapixel pictures and I can email them to your parents right from here! I'm betting that's not the outfit you were wearing when you left the house this morning, and I think your daddy might not approve. It's just a simple swipe of the finger on the touchscreen" she mimics the movement she would have to make "and mommy and daddy see what darling Elizabeth is up to at college."

"You bitch," Lizzie spits.

"Now, now, such language!" Veronica continues. "That actually relates to one of the things I wanted to ask you. I know we were never best friends, but does your dad hate me enough to frame me for murder?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Lizzie, did you recognize me at church yesterday morning?" At Lizzie's blank stare, Veronica continues, "I went to your church yesterday to check on a lead. I'm trying to clear my name in the Wiedman murder case. Then someone tried to run me and my Dad off the road later that day."

"What?? You were at our church? If my dad had recognized you at our church, he wouldn't have waited until later, he would have sacrificed you on the altar during the service. You have a lot of nerve, with everything you've done to us," Lizzie says vituperatively.

"What have I done to you, other than make sure your niece was raised in a healthy home? Which, by the way, you should be in favor of," Veronica retorts.

"You actually are denying that you're blackmailing us?" Lizzie laughs harshly.

"Blackmail?" Veronica asks incredulously. Mac and Weevil look at each other in surprise.

"You've ruined my life. I was admitted to Georgetown, but there's no way I could go, after you bled us dry," Lizzie says harshly.

"Hold on a second...I haven't been blackmailing your family. Really, Lizzie...how could you think..."

Lizzie looks at her quizzically. "You mean...I don't think I believe you. You knew about my dad, and his 'tests'. I heard him arguing with Mom." Lizzie is beginning to calm down a little, but still regards Veronica with hatred in her eyes.

"Someone's been blackmailing your family? So that's why your family stopped pursuing Duncan, and that's why you're attending San Diego as a commuter?" Mac puts in.

"There's no money left at all. It's not like Mom and Dad _share_ with me, but I've heard enough of their arguments the last two years. Someone threatened to send a video of Dad punishing Gracie to Child Protective Services," Lizzie says.

"Lizzie, think for a second. Would I be going to Hearst if I had money to go to Stanford? I don't have any extra money lying around either," Veronica says reasonably.

Lizzie stares at Veronica, then sits down on a bench. "Dad really hates you, Veronica. He blames you for Faith; he says that Duncan wasn't smart enough to figure out how to get out of the country alone. Then when the blackmail started, he thought it was to take all his money so he couldn't hire detectives to find Duncan and Faith. He wanted to sue you and your Dad, but his lawyers convinced him that it would be a waste of his money, and by that time, there was almost no money left. He had to take out a second mortgage to pay for San Diego State; he pulled Grace out of Catholic School, which infuriated him. He blamed the Neptune Public Schools for Meg's pregnancy and the bus crash. It's killing him to have Grace go to school there."

"Lizzie, there's something I've always wondered about your dad. Why did he bail Lucky Dohanic out of jail? What's the connection?" Veronica asks curiously.

"Dad was Lucky's Sunday school teacher; he always felt sorry for Lucky, said his parents never cared enough to supervise him properly. When the details about Woody abusing the kids on the team came out, Dad said, 'that's what happens if you don't control your kids.' He liked Lucky, because he came to church even when his parents didn't. He tried to get Meg to date him, but Meg thought he was creepy and refused...God, Veronica, you are a nosy bitch. Are you looking for more things to blackmail us about?" Lizzie bites off.

Sitting down beside her, Veronica is shocked to see Lizzie's eyes fill with tears. "Lizzie, I swear to you, I don't have anything to do with the blackmail. I was worried about Grace, but I wouldn't blackmail your family. Lizzie, I was worried about you too."

"Really?" Lizzie says sarcastically.

"Really. Lizzie, would your dad frame me for murder? Does he hate me that much?" Veronica asks.

Lizzie pauses, and finally says, "I don't think so."

_Not a resounding denial_, Veronica thinks.

----------

Keith waits in the dark at Liam Fitzpatrick's house, with his gun in hand. When Liam enters and turns on the light switch, Keith points the gun at him, saying, "Hello, Liam."

"Whoa...Sheriff Mars. Oh that's right, ex-Sheriff Mars. Isn't this technically breaking and entering?" Liam sneers, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"I could probably make a case for a citizen's arrest. I'm sure you did something illegal today."

"Nah, I'm innocent, I tell ya. D'you mind if I sit down in my own house?" Without waiting for an answer, Liam sits down in an easy chair, and grabs a bottle of whiskey from the coffee table. "You want some?"

"No thanks."

"So what do you want, Keith?" Liam takes a long draw from the bottle and settles back on the chair.

"I'm wondering where you were the night of October fourth. A Saturday night."

"Gee, let me check my calendar..." Continuing to sip from the bottle, Liam says, "Oh yeah, that's the night your darling daughter offed Clarence Wiedman." He laughs. "I have to say I REALLY enjoyed hearing about that. I think the current sheriff might be looking to refile charges. I have a good attorney, if you need one."

"We're not talking about my daughter, we're talking about you and your whereabouts that night," Keith says insistently.

"Keith, you're really slipping. You didn't need to come over here and be all dramatic. I was in the drunk tank over in Imperial County that whole weekend. Of course, my charges were dismissed. The asshole bartender...well, let's just say he decided I wasn't that drunk after all and his nose was broken, let's say, because he tripped and fell. But I'm sure you could check on that, Mister Mars. No need to point a gun at me."

"Actually, I did want to discuss my daughter a little more. If I ever find out you touched her again, I'll tie you to four stakes in the desert and let the vultures kill you bit by bit."

"Oh, daddy-love, it's so cute. You just keep that little vixen out of my hair. She pokes that nose in my business again and I'll do more than touch her." Liam licks his lips.

Keith jumps up. Kicking his leg, he slams his foot into Liam's chest, practically standing on him and knocking the whiskey bottle onto the floor. Standing menacingly over him, he holds the gun to Liam's forehead and says "Stay...away...from...Veronica." He shoves Liam with his foot for emphasis, knocking the chair over backwards. Liam sprawls on the floor as Keith storms out of the house.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Broadcast News  
**Keith, Wallace and Leo investigate; a new assign-  
ment for Leo; a shocking development from  
an unexpected source.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Dick: Ryan Hansen.  
Logan: Jason Dohring. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
Vinnie Van Lowe: Ken Marino.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: BROADCAST NEWS

Wallace has never been so eager to come in for work. He thought all night about what he had learned from Richard Rosenthal. He's convinced that they've been on the wrong track all along: that the murder in fact is related to the personal business of Clarence Wiedman.

"Wallace, really good work yesterday. You're becoming a skilled operative," Keith says.

Wallace says, "So what's our next step with Wiedman? I think we have to concentrate on looking at his personal life. We've been assuming he was contracted to kill Lianne, but if it's not a contracted job, what was their connection? Did Wiedman and Lianne even know each other? Maybe when Lianne was...seeing Jake Kane?"

Veronica comes into Mars Investigations bearing coffee and croissants from Java the Hut. "What did you say about Wiedman and Lianne knowing each other?" she asks.

Wallace quickly explains about what he learned about Clarence's personal life from Rosenthal.

Veronica starts to speak and stops.

"What?" Keith prods.

"You know that Clarence sent Mom threatening photos, the pictures of me with bulls-eyes drawn on them. I know Mom had some contact with Wiedman. When I tracked Mom down in the bar in Barstow, he followed me. When Mom saw him, she recognized him right away and tried to run," Veronica relates.

"But why would Wiedman kill her now?" Wallace asks.

Keith grimaces. "I still don't see a credible motive. Wiedman was fired by the Kanes six months ago. I don't think this has anything to do with Jake and Lianne. Let's try comparing Wiedman's history with Lianne's, see if anything else comes up in common."

They spend the next hour creating timelines for Wiedman and Lianne, and discover that the only time in their lives that they were in the same city was the period when both lived in Neptune.

Frowning, Veronica points at the computer screen. "What about Wiedman's divorce?"

Wallace says, "Rosenthal told me it was a messy divorce and said that Wiedman only got limited visitation rights. He implied it was something to do with Wiedman being gay."

"What I'm wondering is why Wiedman got a dishonorable discharge from Special Ops," Keith says, pointing to another line on-screen. "Those files are classified. I don't think even Leo can get those."

"What are you thinking?" Wallace asks.

"I'm wondering if Lianne was financing her bad habits with blackmail," Keith says.

"But how would she know Wiedman's history?" Veronica asks.

"I don't know. Let's order the court transcript for Wiedman's divorce and see if there's anything in there."

----------

Late that afternoon, driving on Interstate 8 from Phoenix to Neptune, Leo answers his cell phone.

"Keith, what's up?"

Keith explains about the information Wallace has obtained about Wiedman. "Leo, in your investigation, were you able to get any information on Wiedman's dishonorable discharge from the special forces?"

"No, that information was classified, with the highest clearance level. I do know that Wiedman was previously a highly decorated officer, with several commendations and a Purple Heart. I can try again; I'll put in another request with the military. Keith, I'm actually on my way back from Phoenix. I was interviewing Lianne's friend Adrianna."

"Adrianna?" Keith thinks a moment, remembering a slightly scattered blonde woman.

"Lianne stayed with her for a while after rehab. Phoenix is actually her last known whereabouts before she was seen with Wiedman in Neptune. She checked in with a parole officer in Phoenix and gave Adrianna's address as her temporary residence. Adrianna was supposed to keep the courts advised of her address and to be employed as a condition of her release. She had applied for several waitress jobs but hadn't secured employment as of her last meeting with the parole officer. Adrianna said that Lianne was very secretive, and Adrianna believes that Lianne wasn't really trying to get a job."

"Then what was she doing?"

Leo continues, "Lianne talked about Veronica the whole time. Adrianna said that Lianne swore she was going to 'make it up to my daughter if it's the last thing I do.' Lianne wasn't drinking or drugging at all. When Adrianna asked her how she was going to make it up to Veronica, Lianne just smiled and said 'it's better if you don't know.'"

"That fits with our blackmail theory. Lianne never did have any sense."

"That's what I think. Adrianna said she dropped off Lianne at the public library a few times. The librarian remembered Lianne, said she used the computers extensively. Lianne asked for help with the library's databases for searching old newspaper archives. Unfortunately, it was too long ago and we can't reconstruct her computer history."

"It's okay, I think we're finally on the right track, Leo. Obviously, Lianne somehow found out that Wiedman was having an affair with someone, probably someone who can't afford to have their homosexuality outed because of their family or career, and she blackmailed them. Wiedman decided to silence her, permanently. Maybe then his lover didn't want to take the chance that his involvement with Wiedman would come out and he murdered Wiedman, deciding to frame Veronica since she has an obvious motive."

Leo adds, "Adrianna said that one time Lianne laughed and said 'it's amazing how the solution can just fall in your lap'. I think she came upon this information by accident."

"This affair was obviously very well hidden. Someone has an awful lot to lose."

----------

Back at the Neptune Sheriff's office, Leo enters his office to find Sheriff Van Lowe going through his desk. "Hey, Sheriff, can I help you find something?" Leo asks nervously.

"Deputy D'Amato. Where have you been? Inga wasn't sure what you were up to today. I think the usual procedure is to log your appointments with her in case your superior, that's me last I checked, needs to get in touch with you," Vinnie says, peeved.

"A witness became available in Phoenix, and I wanted to talk to her as soon as possible. I hurried out there first thing this morning."

"A witness? For what case?"

"The Wiedman murder," Leo replies.

"Really? Well, it's too bad you made a trip for nothing. A new witness has turned up here in Neptune and I think we'll be able to refile charges against your old girlfriend any day now," Vinnie smiles.

"What witness?" Leo says.

"Don't worry about it, the district attorney has it under control. I've decided that you're not going to be working on that case anymore because of your ties to the suspect. I have another project in mind for you. Follow me." Vinnie stands and beckons Leo to follow him down the hall to another room.

As they enter the little-used room at the end of the hall, Vinnie continues, "When Don Lamb was killed, there was quite a bit of unfinished business. Since Keith Mars was running for sheriff when he took over, he didn't make cleaning up Lamb's messes a priority. Consequently, there's a bit of filing that needs to be done. Your assignment is to file all the paperwork in these boxes. It might take you a while." Vinnie motions to the stacks of boxes. "But I think an organized sheriff's department should be one of my priorities. It might even be part of my campaign platform."

"Sheriff, this is ridiculous. I'm your best investigator, I should be working on cases, not filing," Leo exclaims, unable to hold back his anger.

"If you don't want to have disciplinary charges filed against you this close to the election, I think you're going to do whatever assignment I give you." He checks his watch, and continues, "You've got about an hour left on your shift. I'll check back in an hour to see how you're doing."

As Vinnie leaves, chuckling to himself, Leo looks in dismay at the boxes stacked haphazardly around the room.

----------

In Venice Beach, Logan and Dick crack open two beers and settle in to play Grand Theft Auto 4. Dick says, laughing, "Guns don't kill people, videogames do."

Logan mock-points a gun at him, saying, "Little Jacob can hook you up, dude."

Dick thinks, _Logan seems a lot better today, surfing was good for him._

After playing the game for awhile, Logan's phone rings. He pauses the game and checks the screen; seeing that it's Enbom, he answers.

"Logan, turn on NBC. Right now," Enbom says frantically.

"Dick, turn on Channel 4," Logan repeats.

"What the fuck..." Dick turns off the videogame and turns on NBC.

"'_Dateline'_?" Logan asks Enbom.

"Just watch," Enbom says, and disconnects.

"Tonight, we examine the unsolved murder case in Neptune, California." In a smarmy voice, the anchorwoman continues, "It's a sordid case of revenge murder. The victim, Clarence Wiedman, was ex-Special Forces, a decorated military veteran, a loving father." As she intones the words, photos of Wiedman flash on the screen. "The suspect? A young woman, practically a teenager." Veronica's high school graduation photo appears on-screen. "But not your average teenager. Veronica Mars is a skilled private investigator, who has received extensive firearms training, and recently applied for a carry permit. Her father, disgraced former Sheriff Keith Mars, is rumored to have protected her in the past for her frequent misdeeds. He himself was removed from office for pursuing a vendetta against one of the town's leading citizens, billionaire software developer, Jake Kane. We now go to our correspondent, Carolyn Murray, for...'Murder in the Real O.C.'" A flashy graphic, featuring 'Murder in the Real O.C.' over an image of Neptune replaces Veronica's photo; the graphic disappears, revealing a blonde female reporter standing in front of the Neptune Sheriff's Department.

"Carrie?" Logan whispers, his face draining of color.

----------

Wallace bangs loudly on the door of Veronica's and Mac's dorm room. Veronica flings open the door. She sees his panicked face and says "Dad called, we know."

They sit on the bed. Wallace puts his arms around Veronica. Mac, looking worried, holds Veronica's hand. They watch as the TV shows the 'Murder in the Real O.C.' graphic, and then cuts to a reporter. Mac gasps. "That's...that's Carrie...she was with Logan. She was with him in Vegas, I think they were dating."

"Logan was dating a reporter?" Veronica asks.

"No, she was supposedly a UCLA student. She must have been undercover, doing research for this story." They look at each other with dread.

They listen to the report.

"Veronica Mars, college student and vigilante detective, grew up in Neptune as the daughter of the local Sheriff. Never wealthy, she managed to gain entree into the lives of the rich and famous by dating the sons of local wealthy families, first the son of Jake Kane, Duncan Kane, and later the son of tragically murdered Aaron Echolls, Logan Echolls. Pursuing a vendetta against the elder Echolls, she accused him of murdering her best friend Lilly Kane, the sister of Duncan, continuing the family tradition of accusing suspects without proper evidence. When her lover, Logan Echolls, was accused of the stabbing death of a gang member, Ms. Mars was instrumental in securing the dismissal of his murder charge. It is rumored that she then helped Duncan, her on-again, off-again lover, to kidnap his love child and flee the country. She has not been prosecuted for her role in this crime. She then escaped prosecution for falsely accusing Aaron Echolls, who was conveniently murdered by an unknown assailant before Ms. Mars could be brought up on charges. Veronica Mars lives in a tangled web of murder and wealth, in a town where justice can be purchased at the going rate." The screen shows a picture of Veronica, laughing, in the center, with pictures of Logan and Duncan on either side. "When we return: Veronica Mars' mother is killed, and Ms. Mars takes action." The television, jarringly, goes to a commercial for hot dogs.

The three friends look at each other in despair.

----------

In his beach house, Logan jumps up violently from the couch.

"Dude, it's okay...it's the same shit they used to say about your dad, they're just bottom feeders..." Dick says, scared at Logan's agitation.

"My girlfriend...set me up...to take down Veronica," Logan bites off. When Dick stands up, intending to try to calm him down, Logan pushes him away harshly and heads for the bathroom.

Dick, panicked, paces around the room, wondering who he can call for help. He hears the water running in the bathroom. He picks up Logan's cell phone and scrolls through the numbers, trying to think, when he hears a loud crash from the bathroom.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Crash  
**The _Dateline_ expose and the aftermath.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Carrie: Amber Heard. Vinnie Van Lowe:  
Ken Marino.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: "CRASH"

Dick runs to the bathroom. He flings open the door to find Logan sitting on the floor, cradling his right hand in his left. The glass shower door has shattered; there is glass shards and blood everywhere. "Dude, what the hell?"

Logan says weakly, "It's just...everything is...it's like I can't breathe. I can't get any air in. If I didn't break something, I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest."

Dick hears the television in the other room returning to the Dateline program and wishes he had thought to turn the TV off. He hears faintly, "Logan Echolls' first brush with the law was when he organized and videotaped a series of bum fights." Dick realizes they are rerunning the Smoking Gun footage that was tapped for Tinseltown Diaries. Kneeling down, he looks at Logan's hand. "Can you stand up? We gotta put a bandage on this." He gets Logan to stand and runs water over his hand. Removing the larger pieces of glass still embedded in Logan's hand, Dick is appalled at the size of the cut and the amount of blood that is flowing copiously, especially from a large cut on Logan's wrist. "Dude, you need stitches. You might have broken your hand. Let's go."

"No, come on, I can't face an emergency room tonight. Just put a bandage on it."

Dick says strongly, "No. We're going." He finds a washcloth, wraps it tightly around Logan's wrist, and says, "Put pressure on it, let's go."

Logan complies. Dick pulls Logan into the living room, grabs the keys to his cars from the counter and they head out. As they open the front door, they run into a mass of reporters, taking flash photographs and shouting questions. "Did you pay off the witnesses for your girlfriend?" "Did your girlfriend kill your father for you? Are you protecting Duncan Kane?"

"Get off me, you scum!" Dick shouts. He puts his arm around Logan and begins to force his way through the reporters.

----------

Mac says, "Poor Logan. This is as much a hatchet job on him as it is on you."

"Are you sure that he didn't know she was a reporter?" Veronica queries.

"Positive. He said she was a fashion major in the design school. She hardly talked, just looked at Logan adoringly."

"Obviously, she was listening and observing. Were they sleeping together?"

Mac is silent for a minute. Then, she shrugs and says, "I would assume so, from what I saw. Seems pretty unethical for a reporter to sleep with the subject of her report."

"I agree. She certainly hasn't disclosed that she had a personal relationship with Logan."

Wallace, who has been quiet up to now, says, "I don't think she's going to either."

The show continues with an in-depth review of Logan's legal troubles, from the bum fights, to his arrest in the murder of Felix Toombs, to his purchase of the Lilly Kane videotapes, and finally to his arrest in the vandalism of a police car. Mac sneaks a peek at Veronica. She's pretty sure Veronica had heard the gossip about Logan's being arrested in order to beat up Mercer but they have never talked about it. Mac sees Veronica wipe a tear from her eye. Logan's mug shot comes onscreen as the report concludes, "Logan Echolls, perennial bad boy, now living in Los Angeles and pursuing a career in the film industry, used his financial resources to assist Veronica Mars with her bail and legal representation. We'll continue our report with a look at the facts of the case against Ms. Mars, including an in-depth interview with Neptune's sheriff, Vincent Van Lowe."

"I want to talk to Logan," Veronica says. She looks up the number on her cell and dials, but there's no answer. She hangs up on _'This is Logan Echolls with today's inspirational message',_ having no patience for Logan's poem-of-the-day at this point.

Wallace and Mac exchange a glance, thinking about the events of the past weekend. Wallace says, "Why don't you try to call Dick?"

"What's going on?" Veronica says suspiciously.

"There was...an incident over the weekend. I think Dick might be up visiting Logan," Mac says. She speed-dials Dick, but, again, there is no response. Mac leaves a message to call right away.

----------

At the Sunset Cliffs apartment, Keith sits and watches the television grimly. He has poured himself a drink, thinking that your only daughter being eviscerated on national television is just about the best excuse there is to drink alone.

As the show returns from the commercial break, Keith is disgusted to see Vinnie's smug face. "I admit, some of the evidence in the initial indictment was a little weak. But we are convinced that some of that evidence was actually planted by the suspect, Ms. Mars, at the crime scene or possibly was added to the crime scene evidence in the sheriff's department storage room by one of her father's longtime friends. The evidence was planted in order to create a double jeopardy scenario, whereby if she was apprehended in the investigation, she had a way to create reasonable doubt and ensure a not guilty verdict."

_Pretty convoluted, Vinnie,_ Keith thinks.

Carolyn Murray asks, "But isn't it true that a new witness has come forward in the case?"

"That's correct. The district attorney's office has kept this witness secluded while their testimony is being corroborated. We expect to refile charges within the week," Vinnie states.

Just as Keith jumps up angrily, the phone rings. "Hello!" he barks into the phone.

"Keith, it's Cliff. I assume you're watching? I have just received notice from the district attorney's office that Veronica is to surrender herself into custody on Friday at 4 p.m., just in time for a perp-walk on the evening news, but after judges have left for the weekend. This announcement was planned down to the second. The process server was at my door one minute before Vinnie announced it on national television."

"This is intended to cause the maximum amount of pain to me and Veronica," Keith says bitterly.

"No doubt. But I can petition the court to interview the witness as to their credibility before we have to surrender Veronica. I'm still the attorney-of-record, but I'll be calling on the attorneys that Logan secured for us before. After this mountain of manure that just aired, he'll be gunning for revenge as well; I'm sure he'll have no objection to helping us again. Call me after the show is done, so we can plan our next step." They hang up; Keith glares at the television, wondering what could be next.

After the commercial break, the show continues. "What of Veronica Mars' other longtime lover, Duncan Kane? Duncan was best friends with Logan Echolls. As two emancipated minors, they roomed together at the ritzy Neptune Grand Hotel, living a life of luxury that most teenagers can't even imagine. Still wanted for questioning in the kidnapping of Faith Manning, purportedly his love child, Duncan hasn't been seen in the United States for two years. His family's net worth is reportedly in the billions. Rumors have it that Duncan Kane is living in South America and has undergone extensive plastic surgery.

"But the real shocker is that Duncan is possibly the true killer of his sister Lilly. In the Aaron Echolls trial, DNA evidence was found on the murder weapon belonging to Duncan Kane. The evidence was strong enough for the jury to render a verdict of not guilty for Aaron Echolls. If Duncan was the true killer, he had to have help. That help could have come in the form of his father's chief of security, Clarence Wiedman. If Wiedman had something to do with the Lilly Kane murder cover-up, his murder could have been committed to tie up loose ends in order to finally clear Duncan of his sister's murder. Veronica Mars has been willing to go to any length to help Duncan in the past. Could Wiedman's murder have been a conspiracy between the three longtime friends and lovers to clear Duncan once and for all?"

----------

Veronica's cell phone has vibrated constantly with calls with blocked i.d.'s. Assuming they are calls from reporters, she sends each call directly to voicemail; she refuses to turn the phone off, hoping that Logan will call.

The show continues. "Veronica Mars has been willing to go to any length to help Duncan in the past. Could Wiedman's murder have been a conspiracy between the three longtime friends and lovers to clear Duncan once and for all?

"What of Ms. Mars' criminal record? She was cited, but not charged in a break-in at the Neptune Sheriff's Department in 2005; in the Echolls trial, it was revealed that, one year later, she broke into the home of upstanding Neptune residents, Stewart and Rose Manning. Again, she was not charged, possibly due to her father's connections. She was arrested in 2007 for aiding and abetting the escape of yet another fugitive from justice. These charges were not pursued, subsequent to her father's reappointment as interim sheriff. A short time thereafter, she reportedly broke into the home of Jake Kane and stole cutting-edge computer software. It is believed that damning video footage of Ms. Mars was destroyed by her father, still serving as temporary sheriff, though not for long after this information was revealed by the Balboa county district attorney. Throughout her vivid career, Ms. Mars has managed to avoid prosecution until now."

"Can you say 'taint the jury pool'?" Wallace comments disgustedly.

"Isn't this slander?" Mac says.

"You mean libel. I don't think so, they always say 'possibly' or 'it is believed'. This show works this slimy territory all the time, I'm sure they have full-time lawyers vetting the scripts for actionable libel. Besides, they're not lying, I did all those things," Veronica says, distractedly. Her phone vibrates again, she reads, "Fields, M." and takes the call.

"Mike," she says, despondently.

"Veronica, are you okay? This is outrageous. I want to help. I'm going to take time off from the bureau and come down there. I'm worried about you," Mike says passionately.

"What about your wife? I think that's a bad idea," Veronica replies.

"Veronica, my wife and I split again...but I know it's over for us as well. Right now, you need help so you have a future. Please let me help," Mike pleads. "I still care about you as a friend. You don't deserve this. I should have given you an alibi right away, this is all my fault."

"Please don't come, Mike. I promise to let you know if there's anything you can help with."

----------

Dick finally gets himself and Logan through the crush of reporters and into his Infiniti. Logan's face is white and he's quiet, _too quiet_, Dick thinks. Dick helps Logan put on his seat belt, and tries to pull out. The reporters swarm the car and Dick begins to honk the horn furiously. He steals a look over at Logan and sees him slumped against the car door. He shakes Logan's shoulder, saying, "Wake up, dude! Shit! Shit!" The blood has soaked through the washcloth they had wrapped around Logan's hand, and now that Logan has stopped the pressure, the blood is dripping onto the floor of the passenger seat. Dick slams the car into gear and pulls out slowly, not caring if he takes out a reporter. They jump back, swearing at him.

As he pulls out into traffic, one of the reporters jumps in a car and follows him. Checking his mirrors, Dick sees the car gaining on him and Dick speeds up, making a left onto Main Street, heading for the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. The following car jockeys for position, ignoring the honking cars on the busy street, trying to pull next to Dick's car. Dick turns right onto Pico Boulevard, with the reporter directly behind him, veering right, then left, trying to overtake them. The oncoming traffic honks and swerves.

Dick approaches the intersection at Lincoln Boulevard. Seeing the left turn signal flash green, he accelerates to make the light. The reporter keeps pace. Dick barely gets through on the yellow arrow, but sees a panel truck moving fast from the right. The reporter's car smashes into the Infiniti which plows uncontrollably into a light pole. The air bags deploy, and Dick blacks out as he hears a siren.


	9. Chapter 35 to Chapter 38

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated. **Thanks very much for all your kind reviews!!!**

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**While You Were Sleeping  
**After the accident.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Dr. Crouch: Sean Maher. Betina Casablancas:  
Kate McNeil.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: "WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING"

Veronica and Keith hurry into the reception area at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. Keith tells the receptionist, "I got a call saying that Logan Echolls was injured in a car accident."

"Are you the father?" the receptionist queries.

"No, I'm...apparently he had me as his contact person in case of emergency," Keith answers.

Veronica adds, "We're his friends. Is he alright? Can we see him?"

The receptionist looks at her computer screen. Veronica, frantic after driving for two hours with no news, tries to be patient, then bursts out, "Please, is he okay?" Keith puts his arm around her.

The receptionist finally says, "Third floor." She motions to the elevators but Keith and Veronica are already moving.

The elevator doors open on the third floor, and Veronica recognizes Dick's mom, the former Mrs. Casablancas. "Mrs. Casablancas, I mean...what happened? Is Dick all right? What happened to Logan?" she cries.

"It's Betina. Dick's ok, just a mild concussion and a sprained wrist. Logan was in surgery, but he's out now. They're saying he's in critical condition."

"Dad?" Veronica says tremulously.

"Hold on, honey, wait 'til we talk to the doctors," Keith reassures her.

A doctor strides in. "Are you Keith Mars? You're the contact person for Logan Echolls?"

"Yes, I'm Keith Mars, this is my daughter, Veronica. Doctor, what's going on?" Keith answers.

"I'm Doctor Crouch, I'm the neurologist in charge of Mr. Echolls. Mr. Echolls was in the passenger side of the vehicle, which made contact with a light pole. Fortunately, there was an ambulance nearby and the two passengers were brought in here relatively quickly. He suffered a compound fracture of his leg and a severe concussion. However, he had apparently previously injured his hand, and they were already on their way to the emergency room when the accident occurred. Two fingers were broken, but more seriously the wrist had a major laceration and Mr. Echolls lost a great deal of blood on the way to the hospital," the doctor explains.

"His hand, or his wrist?" Veronica asks worriedly.

"His wrist. His friend, Mr. Casablancas, said he broke a glass shower door. That's all I know. Right now, Mr. Echolls is stable, but critical. I'm concerned about the loss of blood and about the concussion. More seriously, we picked up a small subdural hematoma on the CT scan. This type of injury is a common complication of a head trauma; it's bleeding between the outer covering of the brain and the inner layer known as the meninges. If the hematoma were larger, there would be no choice, we would have to perform a craniotomy, which would be very dangerous right now with the loss of blood that Mr. Echolls has sustained."

"So how are you treating it instead?" Keith asks.

"I'm recommending that we wait to see if it increases in size. We'll monitor the hematoma and allow the body to heal itself. In the meantime, we can continue to transfuse, and see if Mr. Echolls' condition improves. If the hematoma increases in size and becomes acute, we will have no choice and have to operate. Is Mr. Echolls an alcohol abuser?" the doctor asks.

Veronica looks at Keith, who replies, "Yes, I think he's had some struggles with alcohol."

"This type of injury is more common in alcoholics. You can see him for a minute, but he's not conscious."

"Doctor, do you think..." Veronica starts.

"I think Mr. Echolls is a strong young man, and he'll pull through this crisis. Mr. Mars, if you could follow me, there's some paperwork I'd like you to fill out."

----------

VERONICA

I sit down, shakily, in the waiting area. Why are these rooms always like this? They have a smell that I can't place, and the atmosphere--it's like worry and stress and dread and fear, mixed together.

_"Forget what I said about you being allowed to worry about me...Forget what I said about you being allowed to worry about me..."_

Is that going to be the last thing I said to Logan?

_"This type of injury is more common in alcoholics...he's not conscious...he's not conscious...hematoma...craniotomy...he broke a glass shower door...he's not conscious..."_

I can't help it, the words keep playing over and over in my head. I start to weep. My dad comes over and puts his arms around me and I sob.

----------

Dick, his forehead bandaged and his left arm in a sling, comes into the waiting room. Veronica sits up from leaning against her dad.

"Dick, what happened?" she asks.

"You saw the _Dateline_ report? That reporter was Logan's girlfriend for about a month. When he saw her on the television, he realized she set him up," Dick says, sitting down next to them.

Veronica frowns, thinking about the timeline. _When did she start going out with Logan, exactly?_

Dick continues, "He freaked. He broke the glass shower door in the bathroom. He cut his wrist really deep, there was blood all over."

"Was he trying to...cut his wrist on purpose?" Veronica asks, shakily.

"No, I don't think so, he said he couldn't breathe, he felt like he had to break something. When I saw how bad it was, I told him we had to go to the emergency room for stitches. But there was like a million reporters outside. I finally got him into the car, but one asshole reporter followed us, trying to get pictures. He was weaving in and out, trying to get beside us. I don't really remember the accident, but the ambulance guy said a truck smashed into him and he smashed into us. The reporter was killed, his car was crushed. I think we were lucky, my car has great air bags. Well, had great air bags." Hesitating, he adds, "Veronica, I'm so sorry, I didn't know what to do, I just thought it would be best to get him to the hospital for stitches. They told me about the hema...hematoma thing," Dick says, stumbling over the terminology. "What did they tell you?"

Keith answers, "They think it's best to wait and see if Logan's body can heal itself, rather than do brain surgery."

"Wait and see..." Veronica echoes, despondently.

"Veronica, Logan is young and strong, he'll be okay," Keith reassures her. "And we'll be right here when he wakes up."

"I want to call Mac again. I talked to her a little while ago, I was worried she might hear about it on the news," Dick says. "I'm going outside to use my cellphone. I'll tell her about Logan."

"Ask her to tell Wallace for me too, okay?" Veronica says. She and Dick stand up and she hugs him, carefully avoiding his sprained wrist. "Thanks, Dick, none of this was your fault; you did a great job getting Logan to the hospital."

Dick doesn't respond; Veronica knows how close he and Logan are and she realizes Dick is struggling with the same feelings of worry and guilt that she has. Dick walks to the elevator and presses the down button, glancing over his shoulder at them as the elevator doors open.

"Dad, did you know that Logan made you his emergency contact person?"

Keith shakes his head. "No, but it makes sense. He has some distant relatives on the East Coast, but they were estranged from Logan's parents, and Logan barely knows them. Trina is out of the country shooting low-budget films; he's not close with the Kanes obviously, and Mr. Casablancas is back in the Caymans."

"Dick Senior would be the worst choice, even if he was around."

"That's my opinion too. Veronica, Logan and I have been corresponding since last January. He asked me not to tell you. I wasn't happy about that, but he reached out to me as a responsible adult, and I felt it was important to respect his wishes," Keith explains.

"Corresponding? You mean letters?" Veronica asks.

"Email mostly. He was depressed after the holidays and needed someone to talk to. In the beginning, I was just being polite, but as he opened up to me I realized that he was making a serious effort to grow up a little and I became more sympathetic. He told me about his family, and I have to tell you that I respect his strength in having survived his experience with them. He had absolutely no guidance or love from his parents. I'm not excusing all his actions in the past, but I've come to like Logan."

"What was the project you were helping him with?" Veronica asks curiously.

"Let's let Logan tell you about that when he wakes up. Honey, he's going to be just fine and you can ask him these questions."

---------

The nurse comes to find them about a half-hour later. "I can take you in to see Mr. Echolls now. You can talk to him, but it's better if you don't touch him just yet. A lot of doctors believe unconscious people can hear what their relatives say, and that's been my experience as well, so tell him that everything is okay and to wake up soon."

Keith and Veronica file into Logan's room after the nurse. The beeping monitors contrast with the eerie silence of the room. Logan is completely pale; there are monitors attached to his chest, an intravenous drip, and bandages on his head and right hand and wrist. His right leg is elevated, in a cast from thigh to ankle.

Keith clears his throat, and says in a gruff voice, "Logan, we're here for you. We're going to make sure that everything's okay. Concentrate on getting better for the people that care about you."

Veronica says, with tears in her eyes, "I love you, Logan; please get better so we can talk soon."

Keith looks at his daughter and takes her hand in his.

Veronica continues, "I'm sorry for everything...please...wake up so you can worry about me some more. I promise to...I promise to be careful the way you want me to. I love you, Logan," she repeats.

Keith squeezes his daughter's hand and smiles wanly at her. They exit the room; as the door shuts behind them, Veronica begins to cry again and allows her dad to fold her in his arms.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Memory  
**Logan wakes up; Leo finds a clue.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Leo: Max Greenfield. Vinnie Van Lowe: Ken  
Marino. Dr. Crouch: Sean Maher. Deputy Sacks:  
Brandon Hillock. Inga Olofson: Seraina Jacqueline.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: "MEMORY"

Veronica starts awake to sun streaming in the windows in the waiting area. She fell asleep against her dad's shoulder around five a.m., after the nurse told them that Logan's condition was the same, and that that was good news. The nurse told them that Logan might wake up sometime that day and after morning rounds they could spend some time in the room if they were quiet and didn't disturb him.

Veronica thinks that she won't stop being scared until Logan is snarking at her again. She sits up from her dad's shoulder gently, knowing that he didn't get much sleep either and hoping not to wake him.

Feeling the absence of his daughter's weight, Keith wakes up. "Hi, honey, has there been any news?"

"No, I just woke up. I was going to get some coffee."

When Veronica returns with two large coffees, she sees that Dick has returned after spending the night at Logan's beach house. She had promised him last night that she would call immediately if there was any change at all in Logan's condition. Dick looks a little better this morning, although it's obvious he didn't get much sleep overnight either.

The nurse comes over to them. "Mr. Mars? We've had a lot of calls about Mr. Echolls, mostly reporters, and of course we've turned down all their requests for information as you requested. One woman has been very persistent though, says her name is Dr. Friedman, asked me to tell you to call her. She got a doctor here at the hospital to vouch for her."

Dick pulls Keith aside and says quietly, eying Veronica, "That's Logan's shrink, you know. He likes her a lot. You should let her know what's going on."

"Okay, I'll call her." The nurse hands Keith a slip of paper, and offers to let him use the phone at the nurse's station.

----------

Leo sighs. Apparently in the three years that Don Lamb was the sheriff, he never filed any of the papers that crossed his desk. Most of the boxes contain duplicates of paperwork that was already filed in long-term storage. Leo has started by separating papers by date and status, pending or closed.

Inga pokes her head in. "How'ss eet goink, Leo? I told heem, thees ees stupit. We never let Don haf any oreeginal paperwork, eet's all copies."

"Stupid is as stupid does," Leo replies.

"Ja, that's for sure," she agrees.

"See you later, Inga," he calls out as she walks back down the hall.

As he gets to the bottom of one box, he finds a box of staples. He is about to set it aside, but realizes he hasn't seen any other office supplies in the boxes and is curious. He opens the box and finds a bank safety deposit box key in a small envelope under the staples.

----------

The nurse has allowed Keith and Veronica to sit in Logan's room, and has given them permission to talk quietly. In whispers, they use the time to go over everything they know about Wiedman.

Veronica starts by telling Keith about investigating the photos she found in her mom's safety deposit box. She tells him about identifying the restaurant from where the photos were taken, obtaining the credit card slips, and identifying him as the head of security for Kane Software.

"Good PI work, honey."

She continues by telling him about confronting Jake about the photos.

_FLASHBACK: At the Christmas party at the Echolls house, Veronica confronts Jake in the library in the Echolls house. Veronica says, "I've got a question for you...Does your Head of Security make it a habit of taking photographs of high school students and drawing bull's-eyes over their faces or am I special? Clarence Wiedman took pictures of me. Surveillance pictures. He drew a target over my face and sent them to my mother. Why?"_

_Jake, truly confused, replies, "You're not making any sense...I have no idea what you're talking about."_

_Veronica says, angrily, "Why would you want my mother out of town?...Why didn't she tell me or my father about the pictures instead of hiding them in a safe deposit box?"_

_Jake shouts back, "I don't know!"_

Veronica tells her dad sotto voce what Duncan had said at Waterside Park, that to assuage Celeste's fears, Clarence had threatened Lianne not to tell Keith that Jake's alibi was false.

_FLASHBACK TO WATERSIDE PARK: Blond Duncan tells Veronica, "Clarence tried to force her to remain silent by sending her the threatening photos, but your mom just ran away. My dad was furious when he found out what my mom and Clarence had done--he thought it would only make your dad more suspicious."_

"What else did Duncan say about Wiedman?" Keith whispers curiously. "I think you're holding something back."

Veronica is silent. She looks down, not wanting to meet her dad's eyes.

"Out with it, Veronica!" Keith's voice raises a little, and Veronica shushes him, pointing at Logan. He glares at her.

"Okay, okay," she whispers, glancing at the hospital bed. "Duncan told me that he hired Wiedman to kill Aaron Echolls."

Keith is completely stunned. "I thought...I don't know what I thought. Veronica, this makes the _Dateline_ reporter's theories more plausible. Does anyone else know?"

"Duncan said his parents know."

"What if Lianne found out, and blackmailed Wiedman? Wiedman could have gone to the Kanes for help raising money and then decided just to get rid of Lianne. Then the Kanes could have had Wiedman killed," Keith whispers excitedly, happy to have finally uncovered a plausible motive.

"Duncan was too calm, I don't think so. And how would Mom have found out about that?" Veronica deflates Keith's hopes. "We're not going to out Duncan's—" She stops abruptly and looks over at Logan, unconscious in the bed; she lowers her voice to a whisper. "Duncan's involvement in Aaron's murder."

Keith whispers forcefully, "Damn it, Veronica, if that's what it takes to get you acquitted, we're telling."

"I must be in hell," a weak voice says from the bed.

"Logan?" Veronica says, whirling around to look at the bed.

"I died, and I have to spend eternity like this, with you two discussing murder theories," Logan says again, his voice cracking.

----------

Leo uses his lunch hour to identify the bank for the safety deposit key. He gets a copy of Lamb's death certificate from the Bureau of Vital Statistics and finds a judge to sign a warrant to open the box. Knowing that this judge is a longtime friend of Jake Kane who hates Keith Mars, Leo says he believes it may contain vital evidence to support the Mars indictment. The judge acquiesces, saying, "I hope she fries, the little bitch" as he signs the warrant.

Leo returns to the sheriff's department and finds Vinnie in his office. "Sheriff, I cracked a tooth at lunch. My dentist says he can see me at 2:30; is it okay if I leave early?"

Vinnie smiles, and magnanimously waves his hand 'okay'. "No problem, deputy. You gotta stay away from the nuts."

Leo replies, "You're right, sheriff. I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?"

"You're making good progress on the filing, Leo. With my guidance, you just might make a good deputy after all," Vinnie smirks. "See you tomorrow." He mockingly salutes Leo.

Leo goes to the front desk and finds Deputy Sacks. "Jerry, I need your help. Can you meet me at First National Bank of Neptune in half an hour? Don't say anything to Vinnie."

Jerry Sacks, still smarting from Vinnie's latest gibe about his mustache, looks over his shoulder towards Vinnie's office and says, "I'll be there."

----------

Dr. Crouch finds Keith, Veronica and Dick in the waiting area. "He's doing very well, much better than I expected. We repeated the CT scan and the hematoma seems to shrinking in size. He's not completely out of the woods yet, but I'm upgrading his status to guarded. You can go in to see him again, but please don't upset him. The nurse said he was muttering something about murder. He needs to stay calm right now."

Logan's friends file in to see him. Dick speaks first, "Hey bro, it's good to see you awake, we were pretty worried."

Logan says distantly, "What happened? The doctor said there was a car accident, but I don't even remember getting in a car. The doctor I might not ever remember it."

Dick glances at Keith, who says, "Logan, Dick told us you broke a glass shower door and hurt your hand. He was driving you to the hospital for stitches when there was an accident."

Dick adds, "You were totally white, and then you passed out. You bled all over the Infiniti, dude."

"Sorry..." Logan replies.

"It's cool, she's totaled anyways," Dick says. "The Seductress is no more."

"It's all so far away, like a dream," Logan muses quietly. "I don't remember breaking the shower door, did I fall or something?"

"Don't worry about anything, just concentrate on getting better," Veronica says. "We'll take care of everything."

"Dr. Friedman called," Keith says. "She was worried about you."

"How did she hear about the accident?" Logan asks.

The three friends exchange a glance, and decide not to tell Logan that he's the first story on page one of the newspaper again. "Not sure," Keith finally says.

"What?" Logan asks. "Tell me."

"Please don't worry, Logan, everything's going to be okay," Veronica says, reaching for Logan's relatively unscathed left hand.

He pulls his hand back weakly, avoiding her touch. Veronica, upset, turns away.

Keith says calmly, "Logan, there was a ridiculous news story, and some paparazzi were at your house looking for a reaction. One of them caused the car accident. I'm sure you'll remember everything eventually. It's very frightening to lose a memory, but the doctor wants you to avoid stress right now. You have to get stronger physically before you can work on your memory."

"Can you ask Dr. Friedman to come visit me?" Logan asks Keith.

"Of course," he replies.

The nurse comes in and says, "You're tiring him out, you have to leave now," and shoos them out of the room. Dick says, "Stay golden, dude," and Logan gives him a little smile.

As they leave, Veronica looks over her shoulder and meets Logan's eyes. He immediately looks away, and she chokes back a hiccupy-sob. She thinks, _He hates me...it's too late...he hates me..._

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Dangerous Liaisons  
**They investigate Carrie and the new eyewitness;  
the safety deposit box.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Leo: Max Greenfield. Wallace:  
Percy Daggs III. Deputy Sacks: Brandon Hillock.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: "DANGEROUS LIAISONS"

Dick lets himself, Veronica and Keith into Logan's beach house. Dick convinced them that it was ridiculous to rent a hotel room when there was plenty of room at Logan's just fifteen minutes away from the hospital. Veronica wanders around the house, touching things, thinking that this is Logan's life, and she's not a part of it, and she doesn't know anything about him anymore. At the end of a hallway, she sees an unfamiliar framed black-and-white photo. She does a double take, and realizes that the shadowy, barely recognizable figure in the photo is herself, sitting on the beach near the Sunset Cliffs apartment, with Backup laying at her feet. She looks at it closely, and realizes from the short hair cut and the outfit she's wearing in it that it was taken in junior year of high school, possibly from before the first time Logan kissed her. She swallows hard, thinking about that moment at the Camelot motel when she realized that he cared for her and how it changed everything forever.

"Veronica, do you want to jump in the shower first? Dick's mom cleaned up all the glass and blood and bought a shower curtain to use temporarily before she took off," Keith calls to her.

_Poor Dick,_ Veronica thinks. _His mom barely stayed long enough to make sure he was okay. Dick's been quiet all day; I know he blames himself for Logan's condition. But if Dick hadn't been here, Logan might have bled out on his bathroom floor._ She walks out to the living room. "Go ahead, you can have the first shower, Dad. Dick, why don't you see if Mac can come up here to be with you?"

"I didn't want her skipping classes for me," he mumbles. "I told her not to come."

"Dick, this has been really tough on you too. I'm sure she wants to be here with you. She's a great student, she can afford to miss a class or two," Veronica says, persuasively. _I can't believe I'm worrying about the Dickster._ "When you call her, let me know. I want to ask her something."

Dick looks up at her gratefully, almost like a bad puppy who expected to be swatted and got a pat on the head instead. He follows her with his eyes as she walks over to Logan's laptop on his desk.

"I'm just checking my email," Veronica explains, feeling Dick's gaze on her. She logs on, quickly trashing all the emails from reporters, and reading the messages that are important. There's an email from Eli, complaining that her voicemail inbox is full, and he's been trying to call her to find out how Logan is doing, and what the hell was that stupid story on _Dateline_, anyway?

There's a long email from Cliff, telling her about the witness who's turned up in the case against her. Cliff has a meeting set up with the district attorney and the judge tomorrow to go over the witness's story, and says that Veronica is still expected to surrender herself into custody at 4:00 on Friday afternoon. Her arraignment is to presided over by Judge Cramer. Cliff explains that by scheduling the arraignment at 4:00, the judge will have no choice but to dismiss for the weekend and resume on Monday morning, forcing Veronica to spend the weekend in jail. On Monday, Cliff expects the new witness to testify that he saw Veronica outside Wiedman's hotel room, just before the murder was committed. The witness has been named as Daniel Mulvaney. Veronica is sure she's never heard that name before.

There's also an email from Mike that Veronica doesn't even open. There are a couple emails from professors containing assignments. Veronica doesn't even skim them, thinking that she can't deal with college right now. She logs off her account, and can't help thinking that she could find a lot of information about Logan on this computer. Disgusted with herself, she shuts down the computer and walks over to sit down with Dick on the couch.

"You didn't want to check out Logan's email?" Dick says.

In a small voice, she says, "I'm trying to be a better person. Logan's life is none of my business."

Dick looks at her in surprise.

"I know...I blew it with him a long time ago. I kept pushing until I found something I couldn't live with, and then I got to be the righteous one who dumped him," she says.

"You mean, the thing with Madison? I was pretty pissed at him, too, you know."

It's Veronica's turn to be surprised. "Why do you think he slept with her, Dick? He never seemed to even like her."

"All he ever says is it was the stupidest thing he ever did, and he wishes he could take it back. Logan will never say it was because he was drinking too much, but Enbom told me he heard Logan was basically passed out when she started in on him."

"I'm not sure that makes me feel any better. The doctor said that Logan's drinking might have contributed to the subdural hematoma," Veronica says shakily.  
_  
_"You know, he quit drinking for awhile, after...after..." Dick stops, and Veronica looks at him quizzically. "Veronica, you probably guessed, Dr. Friedman is Logan's shrink. Logan stopped drinking after he started seeing her. He was actually doing pretty well when he was dating that reporter girl Carrie, she seemed to be really good for him. She dropped off the face of the earth without a word a couple weeks ago, and Logan's been in a tailspin ever since," Dick admits.

Veronica can't help herself. "Do you think he was in love with her?"

"No, not at all, but he always said she made him feel normal, and he liked that feeling. He couldn't understand why she just disappeared, they never even fought. He was just really down about it, and then he fought with you and got even worse. When he saw Carrie on _Dateline_, he was totally shocked. He was the most upset I've seen him since Lilly's funeral."

"When did he meet Carrie? Do you know if it was before Wiedman was killed?"

"When was that again?"

"October 4," Veronica says.

"I think he met her in the beginning of September, at UCLA."

"Even before my mother was killed, you mean."

"I guess so, what's the difference?"

Veronica ponders for a second, then says, "She must have originally been going to do a story on Logan, then when the murders happened and she realized she had an inside track to that story, she changed her focus." Changing the subject, she asks, "Did Logan ever go to AA or rehab?"

"No, I think the shrink suggested it, but he seemed to be doing okay without it until Carrie dumped him."

Veronica thinks, _Carrie will pay for this; I don't know how, but she will pay._

----------

At Leo's apartment, he and Sacks are looking at the contents of Don Lamb's safety deposit box. They inventory the items at the bank, putting each item into a plastic bag with a Neptune Sheriff's Department sticker.

Five (5) black journals  
Two (2) videotapes  
Twelve (12) compact discs  
Paperwork, detailing bank accounts in the Bahamas  
Bearer bonds, totaling $500,000

When they see the last two items in the box, Sacks whistles incredulously. "Sheriff Lamb always acted as if he had no money at all."

Leo comments, "Maybe he was shooting for an early retirement."

Now they are planning to go through the journals, tapes and CDs. It's obvious to them that Lamb had been blackmailing Neptune's wealthy scions. Sacks has agreed with Leo that it's far too dangerous to let Vinnie Van Lowe see this evidence; they both felt Vinnie would just take over blackmailing where Don Lamb had left off. They split the journals up and begin reading and taking notes, intending to compare their impressions. Leo instructs Sacks to let him know immediately if he reads anything about Wiedman, Lianne, or Veronica.

----------

At Mars Investigations, Wallace is running the background checks that Keith and Veronica had asked for: Daniel Mulvaney and Carolyn Murray. Wallace is slightly nervous to be responsible for this information; investigating a slightly sleazy basketball coach is one thing, but this investigation could determine the result of Friday's arraignment. He decides to start with Carolyn Murray; she's probably just a reporter, with no big secrets to hide. Using the databases as Keith and Veronica have taught him, he finds her address, cellphone number and social security number. He downloads her cellphone records and runs a search on her social security number.

_Well, well,_ he thinks. Carolyn definitely does have her secrets. She's slightly older than they had presumed; she was kicked out of journalism school at USC several years previously. Wallace is unable to determine the reason for her expulsion, but is willing to bet it was for plagiarism or some other ethical violation, given her recent behavior. "She's a beautiful woman, I bet there are still people at USC who would remember her and why she was expelled," he muses aloud.

He looks at the personal information he has obtained. Father: Charles Murray; mother: Sandra Murray, nee Baker; previous marriage to James Phipps, divorced 1984. The name "Phipps" nags at him; he runs the name James Phipps and discovers that James Phipps is the father of Norman Phipps, currently employed at Vanity Fair magazine: the reporter Veronica caught impersonating Logan's brother Charlie two years ago. When Wallace runs Carolyn's employment history, he discovers that after a series of low-paying waitress jobs, she has recently been on unemployment compensation until two months ago, when she appeared on the payroll at NBC.

He takes a look at her cellphone logs and discovers that Carolyn checks in with her half-brother Norman at least daily. There are numerous calls to Vincent Van Lowe's home number as well.

Wallace summarizes the information and sends it in an email to Keith, cc'ing Veronica and Cliff. He adds a note that he intends to go to USC the next day to investigate Carolyn's expulsion unless there is a different assignment for him.

Next, armed with a new confidence from his discoveries, he begins to check out Daniel Mulvaney. Mulvaney only moved to Neptune a short while ago. His address locates him squarely in Fitzpatrick territory, but he has no definitive connections that Wallace can find to anyone they have been investigating. He does find out that Mulvaney just finished a two year sentence in Salinas Valley State Prison for burglary and fraud, and before that he was convicted of several other petty crimes, serving time in other state or county facilities. He picks up the phone and dials Leo.

"Leo, it's Wallace Fennel, Keith Mars' assistant. Have you heard anything about this witness who supposedly saw Veronica near Clarence Wiedman's hotel the day he was murdered? Keith asked me to run a background check on him, and the only information I'm finding that seems interesting is that he was just released from Salinas Valley State Prison." Wallace asks.

"Vinnie's been keeping me out of the loop lately. Let me ask Deputy Sacks, he's right here, helping me with something else." Leo covers the phone and Wallace hears mumbling dialogue. "Sacks said the witness just walked into the department and asked to see the sheriff, saying he had important information about the Mars girl."

"He sounds like a career criminal to me; wouldn't someone like that save that kind of information to trade in case he needed a bargaining chip?" Wallace asks.

"Yes, I agree he doesn't sound like an upstanding citizen that would volunteer his testimony willingly."

"I'll let Keith know. Maybe he has a contact at Salinas that can look into Mulvaney's background. Thanks for your help, Leo," Wallace says.

"Sacks and I will keep our ears open," Leo replies.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Witness for the Prosecution  
**They investigate Carrie and the new eyewitness;  
the safety deposit box.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Leo: Max Greenfield. Dr. Friedman: Lorraine  
Bracco. Vinnie Van Lowe: Ken Marino. Wallace:  
Percy Daggs III. Dr. Crouch: Sean Maher.  
Mac: Tina Majorino.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: "Witness for the Prosecution"

"Veronica, you must be starving. You fell asleep on the couch last night and I couldn't wake you up, so I carried you to bed, figuring you needed sleep more than food and a shower," Keith explains, sipping his coffee.

Veronica stretches. "Is there any news about Logan?"

Keith says, "I called this morning. The nurse said he had a quiet night and they've upgraded his status again to 'good', because he's doing so well." He smiles broadly. "The doctor asked me to meet him in Logan's room at 11:00am to go over a treatment plan."

Veronica hugs her dad.

Dick says, wrinkling his nose, "I think you need a shower, Ronnie. Seriously, help us out here."

Veronica makes a face at him and pads off to the bathroom.

----------

Back at the Neptune Sheriff's Department, Leo makes a show of starting to work on his filing project. When Vinnie pokes his head, Leo removes his headphones, and says, "Hey, Sheriff, I hope you don't mind, I'm listening to a little music to make the job go faster."

"No problem, Leo. Glad to see you're making the best of your assignment," Vinnie chuckles.

Vinnie leaves, and Leo puts his headphones back on, turning on his portable CD player. While pretending to file, he's actually planning to spend the day listening to the CD's he found in Lamb's safety deposit box, which turn out to be recordings of phone conversations that Leo is sure were illegally obtained.

----------

Keith and Veronica are discussing the information they read in Wallace's emails.

Keith says, "I'm going to track down Mulvaney's old parole officer and a contact I have at Salinas prison to see if I can learn anything about this witness. I told Wallace that it didn't make sense for him to come up here to L.A., we need him to stay in Neptune running the investigation there, so after the meeting with the doctors I'm going to head over to USC and see if I can find out anything about Carolyn Murray."

"You don't think she's involved in the murder, do you?" Veronica asks.

"No, but that publicity is very damaging to your case, and we may need to respond by discrediting her report," Keith replies.

"Doesn't Cliff always say a bell can't be unrung?" Veronica says hopelessly.

"Yes, but he can argue for a change of venue and a sequestered jury if it comes to that. Her phone calls to Vinnie can also be used to lessen the impact of his testimony. We can show that he was not an impartial investigator," Keith answers.

"Dad, I had an idea about Cliff's meeting with the judge. You caught Judge Cramer accepting bribes, remember?"

Keith nods.

"Well, I have some other information about him."

_FLASHBACK: Wendy, aka Fiona, aka Chelsea, Max's first love, tells Veronica about being a hooker. "That's the thing about being a working girl. Easy to break into, not so easy to get out of. It's not like I'm one of the big earners, but I have this client, a judge...He is the kinkiest out of all my clients. No sex, he just likes to sneak me into his office at the courthouse...All he wants to do is have tickle fights and walk around in my shoes."_

Keith sighs. "Really wishing I hadn't taught you the P.I. business, Veronica. It's risky to try to influence a judge."

"I just want Cliff to push for a little time before they arraign me; I think we're close to solving this. If it backfires on us, how much worse could it get?" Veronica argues.

"I suppose. Talk to Cliff about it, see what he says."

"The other thing is...Mike offered to help. I want to ask him to see if he can find out about Wiedman's dishonorable discharge. He must have a contact in the military who can snoop around."

"That's an excellent idea," Keith concurs.

----------

VERONICA

To avoid leaving a trail on email servers or cellphone logs, I leave the beach house and find a working pay phone in a small market. I call Max, asking him to hand-deliver a copy of Wendy's photo to Cliff. Somehow I_ knew _he'd still have a copy. Then I call Cliff, telling him what I know about Judge Cramer. Cliff catches on immediately, and makes some suggestions for a script. I just can't help it, I guess I have a thing for blackmail. The evidence seems to suggest I inherited my proclivity from my mom.

I return to the beach house, and call Mike. He's sweet to me, which annoys me, but I keep my cool and ask him to pull out all the stops, and to find out everything he can about Wiedman's military record as soon as possible.

----------

Keith checks in with Wallace again, and is surprised to hear that Angel Navarro has left a message. _With everything else, I forgot about the Fitzpatricks and Navarro's junkyard._

Wallace says, "Angel said the payoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Friday."

Keith frowns, and wonders if the time is a coincidence. _Maybe someone wants to do this when I can't possibly be available._ "$5000 again?"

"That's what he said. How do you want to handle it?"

"Tell Angel to get the money together, it should look like he's completely cooperating. Remind him that he has to keep his business and employees strictly legit. Tell him not to worry, this will be over soon. What else is happening?"

"Wiedman's divorce decree came in. There's not much there. I forwarded it to you and Veronica. His wife claimed that he was unfaithful throughout their marriage and Wiedman declined to dispute the charges, so no corespondent was named. Wiedman agreed to a severely reduced custody arrangement for his son. He was also paying a huge amount of alimony and support."_  
_  
Keith comments, "The alimony was probably based on his salary at Kane Software. It must have been a stretch after he was fired."

"There's a notation that a request for alimony review was scheduled for November 1, but was canceled due to the death of the petitioner," Wallace adds.

"It's sounding like Wiedman was in a desperate situation financially."

Wallace agrees to check back in the office after his classes and to make sure that Keith is updated.

When they disconnect, Keith dials an old friend in the US Attorney's office in San Diego. "It's going down tomorrow at 4:00 pm," he says. "I owe you."

----------

Keith and Veronica knock gently on Logan's door. "Okay to come in?" Keith says, peering around the door.

The nurse says, "Come on in. Mr. Echolls is a little cranky, but the visitors will do him good. I'll let the doctor know you're here."

"How are you feeling today?" Keith asks.

"Everything hurts. They've cut back on painkillers, said it's important to help my brain heal," Logan grouses. The IV and supplemental oxygen are gone, and Logan appears to be much better, except for the snarky expression on his face.

"That's correct," Dr. Crouch says as he comes in the room. He walks over to the bed, pulls out a light and examines Logan's eyes, then turns to the visitors. "Mr. Echolls is doing much better today. It appears that the hematoma is healing well, there have been no symptoms such as loss of consciousness, seizures or vomiting that would cause us concern. That coupled with the most recent CT scan means that I'm willing to say that Mr. Echolls' brain injury is no longer a grave concern. He's not out of the woods yet, hematomas can recur after a head trauma, especially during the first two weeks. He'll need to be in a supervised situation during that time. I understand he lives alone, and there is no family, so I'm recommending a rehabilitation center, where he could also do his physical therapy when he's ready. We could be releasing him as soon as Saturday."

Appalled at the thought of Logan alone among strangers, Veronica bursts out, "He could stay with us in Neptune. Would that be okay?"

Logan glares at her. "It's not okay."

"What was it you said to me about my bail? Oh yeah, _'I'm not going to argue with you about it. You can owe me, or whatever. You are going to accept help, from me.'_ You're not the only one who remembers everything," Veronica says, returning his stormy gaze.

Keith asks the doctor, "Would that be okay? We can get a nurse in to help at the beginning. Logan's best friend, Dick, lives in Neptune. It seems like it might be good for Logan to have his friends around."

The doctor replies, "I agree. Mr. Echolls, this really does seem to be a good solution. I'm concerned about your drinking before the accident." Logan flushes deep red. "You need a support system, and if most of your friends are in Neptune, then..." he shrugs.

"I wasn't drinking-I mean, I just had one beer before..." Logan says angrily.

"Before you smashed a glass shower door in anger," the doctor finishes for him.

Logan is silent, simmering.

Before Logan can pull his hand away again, Veronica grabs it, and pleads with him. "Please, Logan, let us help you, let us take care of you. I'd still be in prison if you hadn't helped before. If you don't want me around, I'll stay away. But if you stay with my dad, Dick and Enbom can come visit whenever they want, and I'll know that you're okay." _Let me help you,_ she pleads with her eyes. His eyes meet hers, and he seems to resign himself.

"I'd like to talk to my psychiatrist about it, she's coming for a visit later today," Logan finally says, almost mumbling.

"Of course," Dr. Crouch says, a little confused at Logan's reluctance.

----------

A little while later, Dick and Mac come by Logan's room, finding Veronica sitting quietly in the room, flipping through a magazine without actually reading anything. Keith has left, saying he was going over to USC to look into something, and looking meaningfully at Veronica.

Mac asks, "How are you, Logan? We've all been so worried."

Logan shrugs. "I guess I'm doing as well as can be expected. My leg and hand are killing me. I'm starting to remember some things from the night of the accident."

Mac hands Veronica her laptop and tells her that she brought some clothes for Veronica and left them at Logan's. Noticing Veronica's silence, she thinks, _Uh-oh, the atmosphere's a little chilly in here._

"Dude, I brought your iPod and the speakers in case you wanted to listen to some tunes, and some DVDs so you don't have to watch reruns all afternoon," Dick says, hoping to cheer up his friend.

"Let me help with that," Veronica says, taking the iPod. She busies herself with wires and connections, and puts the iPod remote next to Logan. She turns on the iPod and looks through the playlist, reading song names out loud. "Let's find something to listen to. 'Breathe 2 AM', 'You're All I Have', 'Lost Cause', 'What If', 'Worn Me Down', 'A Long Way Down', 'Letting the Cables Sleep', 'Waiting'." She looks at Logan in surprise.

After a moment of silence, he admits, "I've been working through something."

"If I looked on your TiVo, would I find _Grey's Anatomy_?" she can't help teasing him.

"Even worse," Dick says, "_Gilmore Girls_."

Veronica starts giggling, then they all begin to laugh. Logan turns red, and mutters, "What? Lauren Graham is hot, and I really think she should be with Christopher." They laugh harder, and finally Logan smiles a little with them.

There's a knock on the door, and a dark-haired woman pokes her head in.

Logan says, "Hey guys, can you give me a minute? This is one of my doctors, I want to talk to her alone, please."

The three friends look at each other and exit the room, shutting the door behind him. Veronica hovers outside the door. She realizes that this must be the shrink, and the desire to eavesdrop is driving her crazy. Just then, the door opens, and the woman said, "You must be Veronica. Logan asked if you could please respect his privacy."

Veronica flushes and turns to walk away as the door closes in her face.

----------

Dr. Friedman finds Veronica in the waiting room a half-hour later. "Hello, Veronica, I'm Dr. Friedman. Logan has given me permission to talk to you about a few things for him."

Veronica dutifully shakes the doctor's hand. _I don't know why I'm so scared of this woman._

"Logan is terrified because he can't remember everything from the evening of the accident. He knows that there was a national news story about your murder trial that implicated him and he knows that at one point he blacked out from blood loss after he broke a glass shower door. He doesn't really remember breaking the door. He says he's reluctant to stay at your dad's house because he feels some pressure from you." Veronica starts to interrupt, and Dr. Friedman raises her hand to stop her, and continues. "I'm not saying you're putting pressure on Logan, but it's true that he feels pressured. We talked about rehab options and he finally decided that he would rather go to Neptune than stay up here by himself. Just be patient, my dear, he truly cares about you, whether he can show it now or not. Let him heal a bit before you try to talk. Let him think things over and get stronger. Whatever may happen between you and him, I think in some ways you are family to each other and always will have a connection, because of your past."

Veronica breathes out, and realizes she has been holding her breath, afraid what this doctor would say. "Thank you, Dr. Friedman."  
_  
----------_

Listening to the illegal phone recordings while pretending to file paperwork at the Sheriff's Department, Leo suddenly stops dead in his tracks. He realizes how Lianne could have gotten the information to blackmail Wiedman._  
_


	10. Chapter 39 to Chapter 42

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: **Piz goes to the hospital and gives Logan a pelvic...wait, this isn't vm slash!!** Okay, here's what's really happening...Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated. **Thanks very much for all your kind reviews, and BTW I don't apologize for torturing you with my cliffhangers. (ha!)**

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Analyze This  
**The eyewitness' Neptune connection; Carrie's  
past; Leo's idea; Logan finds out about  
Veronica's arraignment.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Logan: Jason Dohring. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
John Enbom: Scott Michael Foster. Judge  
Cramer: Sam Anderson. Cliff: Daran Norris.  
Mulvaney: Kenny Johnson. Professor Holdredge:  
Armin Shimerman. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: "ANALYZE THIS"

After Dr. Friedman leaves, Veronica peeks into Logan's room. Seeing that his eyes are closed, she realizes that he must be tired and decides to let him sleep. She returns to the waiting and tries to get some schoolwork done, but thoughts of _pressure...be patient_ keep intruding. Veronica looks over at Mac and Dick, and is surprised to see that Mac is helping Dick with his schoolwork. _I suppose if she could get Weevil to pass that math class, she could tutor anyone...if Dick keeps going out with Mac, he might actually graduate. _She watches Dick and Mac interacting, and observes the easy rapport that they seem to have developed. _Their history is just as disturbing as Logan's and mine; why can't it be as easy for us? They don't seem to ever needle each other about the past, and god knows Dick was certainly an asshole to her. Actually, he was an asshole to everyone._ Dick whispers something in Mac's ear and she blushes and looks over at Veronica. Veronica smiles back, and looks down at her schoolwork.

----------

Keith finally reaches his friend at the Salinas prison and asks about Mulvaney.

"Mulvaney? That guy always had some scheme going, his parole was denied twice because of infractions," Keith's friend, the deputy warden at Salinas, says.

"I'm trying to find a connection to Neptune, he's testifying that he witnessed my daughter just outside the scene of a murder here," Keith explains. "I know my daughter wasn't involved, so why would this guy show up out of the blue saying he saw her? Is this guy connected to the Fitzpatricks by any chance?"

"Hold on a sec, let me look something up. That rings a bell," the deputy warden says. Keith hears computer keys clicking. "His cellmate for the last six months was Danny Boyd, sound familiar?"

"Very." Keith thinks about busting Boyd, a Fitzpatrick flunky, for gun-running with Vinnie's 'help'. "I think I got what I need."

He terminates the cell connection; thinks a second and then dials Weevil. "Eli, I have a job for you. I'd like you to tail someone and see if you can get evidence that they're connected to the Fitzpatricks."

----------

Leo can't believe what he's found out by listening to Lamb's surveillance recordings. He realizes that Lamb had been blackmailing half of the town's most prominent people. _It's a good thing Lamb's death was clearly an accident, otherwise I'd have fifty potential suspects for a murder case._ Apparently, Lamb began by blackmailing the current town supervisor, who has carried on a long-term affair with a younger woman who works in his office. _No wonder Lamb got the mayor's endorsement in that race_. Next, Lamb began blackmailing the Manning family; he has audio and video of Stewart 'testing' the children while Rose stands by approvingly. His success led him to dig up dirt on several philandering trophy wives, who all seemed to have a thing for the tennis pro at the club. He branched out into some financial investigations, discovering some tricky bookkeeping and shell corporations.

The town incorporation real estate scandal gave Lamb several opportunities as well; it looked as though Lamb had begun to target Cassidy Casablancas as a potential victim, but was thwarted by Beaver's untimely demise. Leo has a sickening sense of power, having gained this sordid knowledge in one fell swoop.

While listening to the recordings and perusing the other evidence, he has searched in vain for mentions of Wiedman, Lianne and Veronica; Keith's name has come up a few times, but only as an investigator. But one recording has convinced him how Lianne came to be a blackmailer: Victor Hammer, a prominent film director who resides in Neptune, mentions how 'helpful' the group therapy was at the Wonderland Treatment Center, the same drug rehab Lianne attended.

----------

Still exhausted from the events of the past few days, Veronica has fallen asleep in the hospital waiting room. She is awakened by shouting, and sits up quickly, realizing the angry voices are coming from Logan's room. "What's going on?" she asks Mac and Dick. They shrug, looking confused; Veronica jumps up and runs to Logan's room and peeks in.

Logan and Enbom are fighting. "What the hell are you talking about, arraignment?" Logan says angrily.

"I told you, she is bad news, you have to cut her loose, Veronica just causes trouble for you. She's a murdering slut. Hopefully they'll put her away forever and maybe you can actually move on this time," Enbom snipes.

"Get the hell outta here!" Logan roars at him.

"I can't believe you, bro's before ho's, dude, that's the rule." Enbom leaves, shaking his head. He pushes past Veronica, glaring at her.

"What happened?" Veronica asks.

"Veronica, are you being arraigned tomorrow?" Logan says through gritted teeth.

"Yes, well maybe not, Cliff is meeting with the judge..." Veronica starts to explain.

Logan is furious. "What the hell are you doing here? You and Keith should be in Neptune working on your case, not here fussing over me! Did you contact the lawyers I got the last time?"

"Yes, Cliff contacted them. They are helping him; Cliff is trying to get the arraignment postponed until Monday. Please calm down, I'm worried you're going to hurt yourself..."

"Fuck, Veronica, stop worrying about me and worry about yourself for one goddamn minute! I want to see that _Dateline_ story. Can't you get it on your laptop so I can watch it? From what that asshole Enbom said, they made both of us look like murderers," Logan shouts.

The nurse comes in. "What's going on in here? If you're going to upset the patient, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Perhaps Mr. Echolls shouldn't have any visitors, he's still at risk of a relapse, you know."

Logan calms himself perceptibly. "It's okay. I just...I just got a little excited when I heard some bad news. I promise we'll be quiet, and I won't get excited. Veronica and I are just going to watch a little TV."

The nurse looks at Veronica. Veronica says, "I promise not to upset him," glancing at Logan, who nods that he will behave. The nurse exits the room after making a note on the chart, saying, "Any more commotion, and I'm going to call the doctor."

Veronica gets her laptop and brings it to Logan's bed. She finds the _Dateline_ website and cues up the video, turning the laptop screen so Logan can see it. She herself has watched the video several times, and the images and words are burned into her brain. Logan watches the show, seething. At times, he grabs at the sheets on the bed, twisting them in ineffectual frustration. When his mug shot comes onscreen, his face turns an angry red.

"Logan, it's going to be all right..." Veronica starts, but Logan shushes her, intent on the screen. When the video ends, Logan grimly starts it again from the beginning. His despair is palpable.

----------

In Judge Cramer's office, Cliff asks if he can ask the eyewitness a few questions. The judge waves his hand magnanimously, and Cliff extracts some small photographs from his briefcase. He first shows the photos to the district attorney, saying he wants Mulvaney to repeat his identification with a new photo array. The district attorney nods that the photo array is acceptable to him.

"Mr. Mulvaney, could you pick out the woman you saw from these photos?" Cliff says, unctuously.

"Of course, I know what I saw, I mean who I saw," Mulvaney replies, a little uncertainly, worried that this is a trick. He scans the photos, sees Veronica Mars right away and points to her. "This is her, I'm sure of it." He sits back in his chair, relieved.

Cliff takes the photos to the judge, saying, "I'm sure you want to examine this array as well, your honor." He puts the photos out one at a time for the judge to examine, taking his time with the fourth photo, which happens to be a photo of Wendy, the judge's favorite hooker. The judge looks up immediately at Cliff, who smiles and nods, saying, "Just a random of selection of blonde women, of course."

Cliff picks up the photos again and puts them down again in front of Mulvaney. "What..._tickled..._your memory, Mr. Mulvaney? This was several weeks ago, and yet you just came forward now." Cliff glances at the judge, and is pleased to see by the judge's expression that the word 'tickled' did not pass unnoticed.

"Well, I saw her picture in the newspaper, and it like...uh...triggered a memory," Mulvaney answers, obviously relieved to remember his coaching.

"But your memory didn't surface when Ms. Mars' photos were featured prominently in the news when she was first arraigned? You didn't think to come forward at that time?" Cliff asks, sarcastically. "Perhaps your criminal background had something to do with the timing of your renewed memories." Addressing his next comments to the judge, "This witness appears to be suffering from recovered memory syndrome. I submit that this eyewitness adds little to the prosecution's case. The defense respectfully requests additional time to investigate this witness before my client is arraigned, solely on the basis of this disreputable testimony."

Judge Cramer glances at the photos again, then meets Cliff's eyes. "Motion granted. Defense request for more time to investigate the eyewitness before arraignment is so ordered. Arraignment to take place at 2:00pm Monday afternoon."

"Thank you, your honor. Always a pleasure," Cliff says, putting away the photos and snapping his briefcase closed.

----------

At the Annenberg School of Journalism at USC, Keith tracks down the head of the journalism department. "Professor Holdredge? My name is Keith Mars. Do you have time to speak with me? I'm a private investigator in Neptune and I believe you may have crucial information in an important case." He shows the professor his credentials, and takes the seat he is offered.

"How can I help you, Mr. Mars?" Professor Holdredge asks.

"Do you remember this student, Carolyn Murray?" Keith gives the professor a photograph. "She may have gone by Carrie Murray, or Carrie Phipps."

The professor's face darkens in fury. "Of course I remember her. She was nothing but trouble and the worst student I can remember in recent history."

The professor relates that Carrie was caught plagiarizing, not once but twice; when confronted with her misdeeds, she responded by trying to seduce her professor, who rebuffed her advances. She then claimed that he offered to give her an "A" in return for sex. Luckily, another professor happened to witness the seduction attempt, and backed up the professor's story. Holdredge adds, "When we investigated her further, we discovered that she had falsified her high school transcript, and had inflated her grade point average substantially. She was brought up on these charges to the disciplinary committee, which voted unanimously to expel her."

Keith asks, "Would you be willing to testify to that in court if necessary?"

"Absolutely; the professor she tried to seduce is one of my best friends. The accusations that Carrie made caused him a great deal of embarrassment, and hurt his marriage. I assume that this has something to do with the story she reported for _Dateline_? You can't believe a word that Carrie reports, and I'll certainly testify to that," the professor asserts.

----------

Logan, furious, watches the _Dateline_ video conclude with Carrie summarizing Veronica's criminal exploits. _How could I have let her into our lives?_ He keeps glancing at Veronica, feeling guilty about his role in this debacle.

"Veronica Mars has been willing to go to any length to help Duncan in the past. Could Wiedman's murder have been a conspiracy between the three longtime friends and lovers to clear Duncan once and for all?" Carrie says salaciously.

"What of Ms. Mars' criminal record? She was cited, but not charged in a break-in at the Neptune Sheriff's Department in 2005; in the Echolls trial, it was revealed that, one year later, she broke into the home of upstanding Neptune residents, Stewart and Rose Manning. Again, she was not charged, possibly due to her father's connections. She was arrested in 2007 for aiding and abetting the escape of yet another fugitive from justice. These charges were not pursued, subsequent to her father's reappointment as interim sheriff. A short time thereafter, she reportedly broke into the home of Jake Kane and stole cutting-edge computer software. It is believed that damning video footage of Ms. Mars was destroyed by her father, still serving as temporary sheriff, though not for long after this information was revealed by the Balboa county district attorney. Throughout her vivid career, Ms. Mars has managed to avoid prosecution until now."

Each word is like a knife to Veronica's heart; she has never considered the sum total of her misdeeds before the expose. She has never realized how each risk she takes adds up to a sordid resume. Along the way, she has never regretted or reconsidered anything she did, but for the first time she has doubts. Her eyes well with tears and she tries valiantly to hold them back, but soon begins to sob, thinking of her many missteps along the way. She thinks about accusing Logan of Lilly's murder, which drove him onto the bridge to be arrested that night; she regrets her actions that cost her dad the sheriff's election; she mourns the friendships that she put on hold in order to pursue justice single-mindedly. And she is terrified about the arraignment, despite the easy confidence she has displayed to Logan.

When Logan notices her sobbing, he exclaims, "Shit...please stop crying...Veronica!" When she doesn't answer, he tries to get out of the hospital bed, knocking over his water pitcher on the bedside table.

She looks up at the noise, and sees him getting out of bed. She wipes at her eyes and walks over to him, saying, "What are you doing? You're not supposed to be out of bed."

"Then you have to stop crying. I can't stand to see it...I have to hold you and comfort you," Logan says, his voice breaking. "Veronica, please, we'll help each other...just...please don't cry. It's my fault that Carrie found this stuff out." The thought of his warrior Veronica sobbing is too much for him to bear. He struggles again to get out of the bed to go to her.

"Stop, you'll hurt yourself!" Veronica makes up her mind and sits on the bed next to Logan. She urges him back to a supine position. Carefully avoiding all of his injuries, she stretches out, laying by his side, and putting her hand gently on his chest. "What the hell are we going to do, Logan?" she says, despondently.

"I don't know, Veronica," Logan says, thinking, even in his distress, how much he has missed hearing her say his name. With his uninjured hand, he strokes her shoulder, quieting her sobs.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Logan's Run  
**Logan strikes back; Leo's on a roll.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Logan: Jason Dohring. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
Victor Hammer: Arye Gross. Mac: Tina  
Majorino. Dick: Ryan Hansen.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FORTY: "LOGAN'S RUN"

When Keith returns to the hospital room, he is surprised to find Veronica curled up next to Logan on the bed. The two of them are sleeping soundly, and he is reluctant to wake them up. He knows Veronica is exhausted and emotionally distraught, despite her brave front, and of course Logan is still recovering from an incredibly traumatic accident. Keith sits down and wonders what precipitated Veronica's position on the bed after the standoff in the morning. He sees the laptop, still open to the _Dateline_ website, and realizes that they watched the video from the show.

Veronica opens her eyes; she sees her dad, and sits up quickly, embarrassed. "We were..."

"You watched the _Dateline_ video," he finishes for her, with a sympathetic look.

Veronica gets off the bed, and Logan wakes up as well. "Logan wanted to see it," she says. Suddenly remembering, she checks her watch, then asks, "Did Cliff call? What happened with the judge?"

"Worked like a charm, the arraignment is postponed to Monday at 2:00." Keith chuckles. Mock-sternly, he adds, "I don't want to hear about you trying to influence a judge ever again."

"Don't worry, I think I'm giving up the private detective business after this," Veronica says somberly.

Keith and Logan snort simultaneously. "That...will never happen," Logan snarks.

"Did you find out anything about Carolyn Murray?" Veronica asks, ignoring Logan's remark.

"Yes, she was expelled for plagiarism and for propositioning her professor to try to improve her grade. The department head is eager to testify against her if it comes to that," Keith relates.

"Testify?" Logan asks.

"Well, if this thing goes to trial, we can use this testimony to get the venue changed or the jury sequestered, and possibly we can show a conspiracy by Vinnie to fabricate evidence against Veronica," Keith explains.

"Are you thinking that Vinnie is responsible for the original forensic evidence against me?" Veronica cringes internally, thinking about Vinnie Van Lowe obtaining her menstrual blood.

"I didn't think so, but the phone calls between him and Carrie and the timing of the subpoena are making me wonder. I wouldn't put it past him to try to use this case to put him over the top in the sheriff's election."

Veronica is aghast. "Dad, I know you and Vinnie were always rivals, but I can't believe he'd send me to prison just to win the sheriff's race. He saved me that one time in the River Stix."

"Well, maybe it has to do with the Fitzpatricks. They seem to have a hold over him," Keith muses.

Logan adds, "I think Vinnie's afraid of you, Keith. I would bet he's trying to keep you from working on something else he's involved in, or at least keep you busy until after the election." He pauses, then continues, "I had an idea how we can turn this publicity around. I want to see if my attorneys can arrange an interview with _20/20_ or Larry King, a rebuttal."

"Logan, no! You hate publicity and reporters. Don't do this..." Veronica pleads.

"Veronica, it's the only way. We have to get the public on our side, show that we are not monsters. And I have a bombshell that I can reveal," Logan continues.

Keith nods, agreeing with Logan's assessment. "Absolutely, that's a great idea."

"Bombshell?" Veronica echoes.

"Do you remember Neptune's new battered women's shelter, 'The Bridge'? Well, I'm the anonymous benefactor. I created it as a tribute to my mother," Logan explains quietly.

Veronica stares at him, shocked at his benevolence and humility. She recovers and says, "I'm really proud of you, that's a beautiful way to honor Lynne" _and move past your own abuse_, she adds mentally. "Take that, Carrie Murray, you bitch!" she says, exultantly.

"Not exactly the reason I did it," Logan reminds her.

"Still...let's get your attorneys to set it up. The sooner the better," Keith says.

----------

Leo rings the doorbell at Victor Hammer's palatial mansion, in the heart of '09'er territory. Hammer opens the door himself, a little puzzled to see Leo. "Deputy D'Amato, how can I help you? I hope you're not looking for a campaign donation."

"I'm here about a different matter," Leo explains. "I'd like you to listen to this CD." He holds up the disc. "I assume you have a stereo we can use."

Hammer looks at Leo balefully, then leads him to the back of the house to a multi-media room, with an oversize plasma television screen, several comfortable seats with cupholders, and more electronic equipment than the Sheriff's Department computer room. There are framed posters for several movies, including Hammer's most famous, 'Vector Force Ten'. Hammer takes the CD and inserts it into a slot, and presses a button. They hear Hammer discussing his therapy at Wonderland, and then making a drug deal.

"So you're taking over for Sheriff Lamb? What took you so long?" Hammer says bitterly. "I guess I'll be making a campaign contribution after all."

"You misunderstand. I'm not a blackmailer. I came upon Don Lamb's illegal activities by accident. I'm investigating the Clarence Wiedman murder," Leo explains.

"Oh right, I saw that interview. The Mars girl is your old girlfriend. You're looking to get her off."

"I'm proving her innocence by finding the real killer," Leo corrects him. "This has nothing to do with my relationship with her; I'm trying to solve the case. All the evidence against her was manufactured. She has an alibi."

"So what can I do for you?"

"Tell me about Wonderland Treatment Center, especially about the group therapy. Lianne Mars, Veronica's father and Wiedman's victim, was there, and I think she starting blackmailing people who were there when she was," Leo replies.

"If you're a drug addict, and you're anybody famous, that's where you go. They have a reputation for the strictest confidentiality agreements, so celebrities flock there. And the group therapy is intense. The therapist in charge practically breaks you down, in order to get to the root of your addiction. People spill the juiciest secrets. It's practically the 'Perverted Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'. And since everyone has something to hide, everyone keeps everyone else's secrets."

"Seems risky for all the celebrities who have so much to lose," Leo comments.

"Well, it's mutually-assured destruction, if you rat them out, they can rat you out. Plus, when you leave, you feel like you went through so much with the other patients that they're almost like family. It's actually an amazing place. It almost worked for me," he says regretfully.

_But Lianne didn't have much to lose at that point, and everything to gain,_ Leo thinks.

----------

While Logan picks at a particularly unappetizing dinner and Keith and Veronica eat an equally disgusting meal of sandwiches from the hospital cafeteria, they watch the six o'clock news, which runs a report on the postponement of Veronica's arraignment.

"I can't believe they care about this in Los Angeles," Veronica sulks.

"You're national news now, baby. Welcome to my world; this is what it feels like to be a celebrity," Logan snarks.

She glares at him.

Keith intervenes, saying, "Let's focus on the good news. We have the whole weekend to try to find something to question Mulvaney's credibility. Without any new evidence, I don't think the arraignment will proceed."

The phone by Logan's bed rings. "Hello?...Thanks for getting back so quickly. Is there any interest?...You're kidding...That's great. Go ahead and set it up. Thanks again." He hangs up and turns to Keith and Veronica. "_20/20_ wants to do a live interview with me and Veronica, tomorrow night. They're preempting their regular show to do a live feed from the hospital. It'll broadcast live at 10:00 eastern time and on tape delay here. They agreed to allow the lawyers to vet the questions ahead of time so there will be no surprises. They're also going to air an interview with the USC journalism professor that you found, Keith."

Veronica high-fives Keith, and grins at Logan. "Now we just have to figure out how to answer the questions."

"Veronica, don't try to massage this. Be truthful, let them know how hurt and devastated you are by everything that's happened. You need to let your guard down for once," Keith says.

"Tomorrow's going to be crazy. We'll meet with the attorneys, then they'll conduct a pre-interview, and then we go over it again with the attorneys," Logan explains.

"Don't forget you've got the session with the occupational therapist also. If she clears you, we can take you to Neptune on Saturday," Keith says.

"Knock, knock?" Mac peeks her head in. "Eww, hospital food. I made Dick take us to a vegetarian restaurant, I was pretty sick of cereal and french fries."

Dick whispers to Logan, "I'm gonna get a burger later."

"How are you doing tonight? When we looked in before, you guys were sleeping so we decided to get dinner," Mac says.

"I feel okay, still pretty tired...Veronica showed me the _Dateline_ video. We decided to retaliate by doing an interview on _20/20_. It's going to air tomorrow night, live on tape delay," Logan explains.

Dick raises his eyebrows at Logan. Logan shrugs, and says, "I know. But it seems like the best option, we have to get people on Veronica's side."

"On our side, you mean," Veronica amends. "You took a beating on that video along with me."

"And we found out that Carrie was kicked out of journalism school for plagiarizing and propositioning a professor. I just wish I had some photographs of her and me together to prove that she was unethical in her investigation," Logan says regretfully.

"You never took any pictures of her?" Veronica asks.

"I did, but my computer crashed a while ago, and I hadn't saved them on disk and I lost them all. I was lucky I had saved all my writing," Logan explains.

"I have a picture of her and you," Mac says. "You guys looked so gorgeous dancing in Vegas, I took a picture with my cell phone. I'm pretty sure it's still on my phone." She looks at Veronica, trying to say _sorry_ with her eyes. Mac takes out her phone and scrolls through the saved pictures. "You know, Logan, I bet Carrie crashed your computer on purpose before she left to cover up her tracks." Mac emails a copy of a photo to Veronica's laptop and Veronica opens the file. Logan and Carrie are dancing, Logan in his tux, Carrie in her gold, shimmering gown. They are gazing into each other's eyes, smiling; Logan is brushing a strand of hair off Carrie's face. Veronica looks a little sick and Logan avoids looking at her.

"Mac, this is fantastic. We'll forward this to our attorneys right away, this proves that the _Dateline_ report was a setup. I'm sure they'll want to use this in the interview tomorrow," Keith exults.

"Fantastic," Logan mutters.

Dick clears his throat. "Uh, do you guys think it would be okay if Mac and I go back to Neptune tonight? Mac has a class tomorrow she doesn't want to miss, and um...I'm thinking of going to my classes too." He looks at their stunned faces. "I'm tired of being a fuckup."

"You're not a fuckup, you got me to the hospital when you needed to," Logan replies.

"Yeah, and crashed the car," he says morosely.

"I think you're a hero, Dick," Veronica says, going over and hugging him. "It's a good thing you were there for Logan."

Keith says, "Dick, can I catch a ride with you and Mac? The more that I think about it, I'd like to get back to Neptune and take charge of the investigation into Mulvaney. And Leo sent me a text message that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible. Veronica, you can drive Logan back to Neptune on Saturday. I'd like to be here with you two tomorrow, but I have the feeling that I really need to be working on the case. You'll have the attorneys to advise you every step of the way, and I'm only two hours away if you need me."

Veronica looks at Logan, thinking about two hours alone in a car with him. That used to be her idea of heaven, but his mercurial moods of late have her worried. "Okay," she says finally. "We'll be in touch by phone."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Breaking and Entering  
**They make progress in the investigation, and  
the killer lashes out.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Logan: Jason Dohring. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino.  
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Sacks: Brandon Hillock.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: "BREAKING AND ENTERING"

Dick and Mac drop off Keith at the Sunset Cliffs apartment. He checks to see that everything is okay, and picks up Backup who's been staying with their neighbors. The dog laps at Keith's hand, relieved to have him home. Keith takes him for a short walk on the beach, then, saying, "Sorry to leave you again right away, buddy," he heads over to Leo's apartment.

"Hey, Keith, how's Logan Echolls doing?"

"We were pretty worried at first, but he's doing all right now. He's going to stay with us for a while until he can get by without help. We owe him a lot for helping us with Veronica's defense," Keith says.

"That's great...Keith, thanks for coming by," Leo says. "I came across something that gave me an idea how Lianne could have gotten started blackmailing, if that's really why Wiedman killed her. Vinnie has been punishing me for investigating the case without clearing it with him by having me file Don Lamb's old paperwork."

Keith, remembering, says, "When I took over for Lamb, I had to get up to speed quickly; there was no time for an orderly transition. Inga said that she only let Lamb work with copies, so it seemed to make sense to just quickly box up the office, and keep the files in case something was needed later on. I always intended to sort that out, but..." he shrugs.

"Right. It certainly wasn't a priority for Vinnie until he decided he needed to give me some busywork. In any case, I found something--a safety deposit key hidden in the bottom of a box of staples. I got a judge to give me a court order to open the box, and Sacks and I went over and found..." Leo motions to the tagged items on his kitchen table.

"What is it?" Keith asks curiously.

"Apparently Lamb was also blackmailing people. His victims range from the Mannings to the mayor and everyone in between. There are recordings of phone conversations, surveillance video, and Lamb's diaries of the various transgressions and the amounts he asked for."

"How does that connect to Lianne?"

"I'm not sure it does, but on the recordings I heard one of Lamb's victims talking about the group therapy at Wonderland Treatment Center."

"Where Lianne got treatment after she was arrested," Keith says.

"Yes. And I talked to the victim about it, and found out that the group therapy at that place is a real free-for-all; everyone's expected to spill their guts in order to get to bottom of their addiction problems. So everyone there learns about everyone else's problems. This guy also mentioned that a lot of prominent Neptune people are referred to this particular rehab by one of our local physicians."

"So Lianne had an opportunity to find out...whatever it was she found out about Wiedman. Was Wiedman ever a patient there?" Keith asks.

"Wonderland won't release a list of clients, but they were willing to tell me that Wiedman has never been a patient there. You told me that you think that Wiedman is gay, and had an affair with a man, probably someone who's married with a lot to lose. So that's who we should be looking for. We have to get a list of the clients who were there during Lianne's stay," Leo explains.

Keith thinks a minute about what Leo has learned. "It makes sense, something happened that set Lianne on a path that ended up with Wiedman killing her, and accidentally discovering a potential blackmail victim during group therapy is the most plausible idea anyone has had yet. Didn't you say that Adrianna said that Lianne said that 'it's amazing how the solution can just fall in your lap'?"

"Keith, you know what we have to do," Leo says.

"Actually, I don't want you involved, Leo. But I'll find a way to get that patient list," Keith replies.

----------

Back home at the Sunset Cliffs apartment, Keith looks up a phone number he's only had occasion to use a few times in his career. _I hate to hire a competitor to do my dirty work, but Corey Friedman at the Nick Harris Detective Agency is one of the few PI's I can trust with this._

"Corey...it's Keith Mars...I assume you've been reading the papers lately? I need someone I can trust to do some investigating for me...That's good to hear, Corey, we can use all the support we can get at this point. My daughter is innocent and we have to prove it, and the sooner the better...I want you to go to the Wonderland Treatment Center and bribe an employee to get a list of the patients who were there when my ex-wife was there for treatment. Someone who was there at that time is responsible for Weidman's murder, not my daughter...Whatever it takes, I'm thinking $10,000 will probably do it...All right, let me know what you find out as soon as possible. Thanks, Corey, keep in touch."

Keith hangs up. He thinks about his backup plan, and decides to go ahead with it. He calls Mac and explains what they need. Mac grasps the idea right away, and offers to try to hack into the Wonderland computer system for him.

"I don't think it's going to be easy, Mac; see what you can do. Be careful, cover your tracks."

----------

Outside Mars Investigations, early the next morning, Wallace and Keith bump into each other. "Getting an early start?" Keith comments.

"Yeah, I thought I'd work some extra hours today if that's okay. I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. I want to help if I can," Wallace says.

"I know what you mean. I haven't slept well since this began."

When Keith inserts his key in the lock, he's surprised to find the door already unlocked. He pushes the door open and grimly notes that he's not hearing the usual "beep-beep-beep" of their alarm. He exchanges a glance with Wallace. "Stay back, okay?" Keith draws his gun and enters the office stealthily.

Mars Investigations has been trashed. File cabinets have been overturned, and their contents are scattered over the floor, the computer screen in the outer office has been shattered and there is red spray paint on the walls. Keith quickly checks that there is no one in reception. He leans against the wall, and pushes open the door to the inner office, then moves quickly inside, leading with his gun to startle a potential intruder. "It's all clear," he calls to Wallace, holstering his gun. His inner office is just as bad if not worse.

Wallace reads the splotchy red spray paint aloud. "'Vengeance is mine. See you in hell.' I think our letter-writer is not too happy that the arraignment was postponed."

Using the corner of his jacket in what he knows is probably a futile attempt to protect fingerprint evidence, Keith picks up the phone. "No dial tone," he reports, cradling the phone. He uses his cell to call the Sheriff's Department. When Inga answers, he says, "Inga, it's Keith Mars. There's been a break-in at my office. Can you send Deputy Sacks and an evidence tech over here to take a report?...Thanks, Inga." Speaking to Wallace, he says, "They knew that our alarm system is routed through the phones, like most alarms. I've never thought it was important to have a more secure system, since we now store all our sensitive information online on a secure server, thanks to Mac." He kneels down to check the front door lock. "Our intruder is an expert lock-picker; there's no a single scratch on this lock." He thinks a moment, then goes to the desk and gets a magnifying glass. He examines the lock again and wonders if it was picked at all. Even an expert would leave minute scratches on this type of lock. _Could someone have a key to this door? I never gave keys to anyone except Veronica and Wallace._ He glances around the room in dismay, thinking about 'vengeance' and his little girl.

----------

The occupational therapist shows Logan one more time how to use the crutch to maneuver himself from the bed to the wheelchair. "If you want me to clear you to leave the hospital tomorrow, you have to be able to do this on your own." He shows Logan again how to set the wheel lock on the wheelchair, and goes over each step in detail.

Logan tries again; at one point, his face contorts in pain when he moves the wrong way. Trying to recover, he accidentally puts weight on his right hand, and he grunts aloud. "Logan, be careful," Veronica says nervously.

"Get...her...out of here!" he bites off, angrily.

"Maybe it's better if you wait outside while he practices," the therapist suggests. "We still have to go over the bathroom routine, I can see that's going to be a touchy subject."

"Dammit! Go away, Veronica," Logan says, forcefully.

She's only too glad to comply. His simmering rage at his situation is making her regret her insistence that he come to Neptune to recover.

----------

Dick sits down on Mac's bed and shakes her awake. "Mac, if you want to go to that class, you better get up. I brought coffee and donuts."

Mac yawns and stretches. "Fan-friggin'-tastic."

"What time did you get to sleep last night?" Dick asks.

"About five a.m. I thought I was almost through the first firewall, but then I came up against something I've never seen before. Crap! I guess that's what all that celebrity money pays for," Mac says, discouraged.

"If anyone can hack that site, you can," Dick replies, loyally. "I hope you're always on my side, Mistress Cynthia, you scare me."

"Just do as I bid you, and you will be rewarded," Mac says in a commanding voice, then chuckles at Dick's expression.

----------

Sacks writes up a report for Keith, telling him, "You know there's not much chance there will be any useful evidence." The evidence tech gets out his fingerprint kit, dusting all the surfaces for prints. He takes a scraping of the spray paint, and photographs the entire room. Sacks convinces the tech to gather fiber and hair evidence as well, saying that there's a possibility the break-in is related to the Wiedman murder. The evidence tech shrugs, clearly indicating that he thinks this is a waste of his time for a burglary, but he pulls a small vacuum out of his kit and carefully vacuums the entire room.

The tech comments, "When Vinnie hears about this, he's going to have your badge, Sacks." At Sacks' urging, he reluctantly uses luminol to test for the presence of blood, but finds none. In the restroom, the evidence tech begrudgingly dusts all surfaces for fingerprints. To his surprise, he finds that the sink faucet has been wiped clean, but near the bottom of the cold handle, he finds and preserves a single partial print. He packs up the evidence and his gear, telling Sacks he'll forward his complete report by the end of the day.

Keith thinks about the print. "Sacks, the Kanes' fingerprints should still be on file from the Lilly Kane murder investigation, and of course Liam Fitzpatrick's and Daniel Mulvaney's are available as well since they are convicted criminals. Why don't you see if you can get Stewart Manning to provide his prints as well, and see if we can eliminate him as a suspect?"

"Stewart Manning?" Sacks queries.

"Veronica thinks it's possible the Manning family is punishing her for her role in the kidnapping of their granddaughter. I know, it's a long shot, and we're actually focusing our investigation on a different area. But you see the message the intruder left, it certainly sounds like Stewart Manning's diatribes. Maybe there's a connection to Wiedman that we've missed."

Sacks nods, remembering Mr. Manning screaming at Don Lamb after Duncan Kane's disappearance, and thinking about the disturbing video that he and Leo found in Lamb's safety deposit box.

Keith then tells Sacks about the incident earlier in the week on the road to the El Cajon shooting range. "I found a credit card receipt in Stewart Manning's name for a restaurant not far from there that night. See if he'll tell you anything about that night as well."

Sacks takes some notes, and says, "It's too bad we don't know exactly when the break-in occurred, we could eliminate these suspects a lot easier, Keith.

Thinking, Keith looks at the office's video cameras and the surveillance DVR. The cameras are a total loss, and the DVR will not power up. Keith gets a screwdriver and opens up the casing. He's surprised to find the DVD inside the DVR to be intact, and, with Sacks and Wallace looking on, he inserts the DVD in his laptop drive, hoping for a miracle.

The drive whirs impotently for a second, then a shuddering, blurry video begins to play. The DVR takes a still photograph every thirty seconds, and the time code in the lower right hand corner jumps ahead, one hour compressed to two minutes in real time. Keith gingerly fast-forwards, hoping the disc is not overly damaged, until the screen goes black. He rewinds more slowly; the last time code on the disc is 20:44:30, but there is no video of the intruder. "8:45 last night. Well, it ought to be easy enough to check where our suspects were at that time," he muses. Then he adds, "Sacks, why don't you check out Vinnie's whereabouts at that time as well?" Sacks raises his eyebrows, but nods in agreement.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Wag the Dog  
**They prepare for the _20/20_ interview; aftermath  
of the break-in; Sacks interviews the Mannings.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
Logan: Jason Dohring. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
Eckwood Solomon: Alan Dale. Wallace: Percy  
Daggs III. Mac: Tina Majorino. Dick: Ryan  
Hansen. Eli: Francis Capra. Stewart Manning:  
Geoff Pierson. Rose Manning: Katie Mitchell  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: "WAG THE DOG"

Veronica peeks in the door to Logan's room. After Logan's earlier angry outburst, she decided to go shopping from the list the occupational therapist had given her for items Logan would need. She has several bags of clothes: sweat pants in a slightly larger size with a drawstring waist, baggy boxer shorts, and, in a lucky find, jogging pants that snap up the side and will certainly fit over Logan's cast. She sees an older man, wearing an expensive suit, taking notes on a briefcase, and says, "Knock, knock, okay to come in?"

The man stands up, saying, "You must be Veronica," while handing her a business card.

Veronica puts down her bags and, taking the card, reads: 'Eckwood Solomon III, attorney-at-law, Solomon, Ogilvie and Broussard, 401 South Hope St., Los Angeles, California'. She realizes this man is one of Logan's attorneys. "Mr. Solomon, thanks for helping us."

"Not a problem. Mr. Echolls is one of our most important clients. I'm glad you're here. We've received a list of questions from the network. We need to go over each question, and formulate your answers." He holds up his hand as Veronica starts to object. "We are not going to put words in your mouth, but it is essential that we consider each statement that you make as possible testimony at a later date. I'm sure you remember your cross-examination at Logan's father's trial. My fellow attorney, Mr. Lavoie, was able to inflict a great deal of damage using your own words and actions. We have to make sure we don't create future problems with this interview. Let's get started. We'll go through each question, you can answer spontaneously, I will take notes and then we'll work on a response that will protect you and cast you in the best light possible. I have a legal pad, pencils and a copy of the list of questions for each of you. We are going to take notes and drill these topics until you look like Mother Theresa." He distributes the questions and writing supplies.

"I think Mother Theresa is a reach, maybe we should shoot for Anne Heche, post-breakdown," Logan comments wryly.

"And you would be?" Veronica retorts acidly.

"Robert Downey Jr., of course," Logan replies, sarcastically.

"We're wasting time, we need to focus here," Solomon interrupts. "Let's start with the question about Veronica's reaction to her mother's murder."

----------

"Ay cabron, jijos de su reputa!!" Weevil walks into Mars Investigations and surveys the damage. "What the fuck happened here?"

Wallace, who is piling papers into some semblance of an order, says, "We think this crackazoid's pissed that Veronica's arraignment was postponed."

Weevil reads the writing on the wall aloud. "'Vengeance is mine. See you in hell.' 'Pissed' doesn't even begin to cover it. I hope you put twenty bodyguards on Veronica."

"She's still up in LA with Logan. There's excellent security at the hospital; they're keeping all the reporters out, and there's a very short list of allowed visitors," Keith says, joining them in the reception area. "She's bringing him back here tomorrow and I'm not going to let her out of my sight. What have you managed to get on Mulvaney?"

Weevil takes out a digital camera and hands it to Keith, who roots around for the appropriate cable, and plugs it into his laptop. As Keith opens the jpegs, Weevil says, "I got a few pictures of him and Liam Fitzpatrick walking into a bar together. I would've followed them in, but," pointing to himself, "my face is pretty well known to the Fitzpatricks. I've mixed it up with the micks a few times. If I went into Molly Malone's, I'd probably get capped."

"I thought about that. The photos you got might be enough, but I've got a call out to a couple out-of-work actors who have helped us before, who should be able to blend in at The River Stix and Molly Malone's. At the very least, maybe we can prove that Mulvaney is violating his parole by associating with known felons. You did really well, Eli, the pictures are great," Keith comments. He looks a little closer at the photos, and notices the time stamp on the lower right corner. "Is this time right? 9:03 p.m.?"

"Yeah, that sounds right, that's when they were going into Molly Malone's. Why?"

"We're pretty sure the break-in happened around that time, so that means neither of them were our vandal. Of course, it could have been any Fitzpatrick flunky doing their dirty work," Keith replies.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Weevil asks.

"You're looking at it," Wallace says, motioning to the mess. "We have to get the office up to speed so we continue the investigation. Come on, gimme an assist."

Weevil shrugs 'okay', and grabs a broom to help out.

Keith returns to his office, thinking about Weevil's comment 'twenty bodyguards', and decides that he's going to hire a bodyguard to escort Veronica and Logan back to Neptune in the morning. He puts in another call to the Nick Harris agency and engages one of their best agents, an ex-Mossad operative whom Keith has employed in the past.

----------

When the reporters and crew arrive in the late afternoon, the hospital buzzes with activity. The crew brings in lighting and sound equipment and begins to set it up. The anchorwoman, Marissa Lee, sits down with Veronica and Logan and begins to go through the questions the attorneys have vetted. Mr. Solomon sits nearby, listening carefully, and occasionally lifts his right hand in the 'stop' motion that he has prearranged with Logan and Veronica. After they go through the questions twice, Mr. Solomon is finally satisfied. The anchorwoman smiles smugly, mentally picturing her Emmy award.

----------

Sacks rings the doorbell at the Manning house. Stewart Manning comes to the door, wiping his mouth with his dinner napkin.

"Deputy, what's so important that you had to interrupt our dinner hour?" he says, aggravatedly.

"May I come in?" Sacks asks.

"All right," Stewart Manning acquiesces. He leads Sacks in to the living room, and calls out to his wife, "Rose, can you come in here, please?"

Mrs. Manning joins them, sitting down on the couch. "What's this about, Deputy?"

"Where were you last night around 8:45pm?" Sacks queries.

"Not that it's actually any of your business, we were both at the PTA meeting," Stewart says testily. "I was giving a presentation on 'intelligent design'. It's about time that the schools here present a fair and balanced view of the history of mankind and include Creation theory. Unfortunately, those heathens on the school board barely listened to my talk, and voted it down nine to zero. What happened last night?"

"The office at Mars Investigations was vandalized," Sacks explains.

"And you thought we had something to do with that?" Rose exclaims, aghast. "Deputy, we are upstanding moral citizens, not hooligans. Whatever our feelings about the Mars family, and no matter what they have done to us, we would never do anything untoward."

Sacks thinks about the video he and Leo found, with Stewart testing his young daughter, and merely says, "We have to check out everyone who has had run-ins with the Mars in the past."

"Surely you don't think we would stoop to something like vandalism?" Stewart says bitterly. "We are pursuing our redress in the court system."

Sacks pulls out a portable fingerprint kit and says, "We were able to find fingerprints at the scene. If you'll provide your fingerprints as a basis of comparison, I'd be happy to eliminate you from our suspect list, and I won't have to bother you again."

Furious, the Mannings roll up their sleeves, and allow Sacks to take their fingerprints.

As he puts away the fingerprint kit, being careful not to smudge the cards with the Mannings' prints, he asks them, "What about last Sunday evening? Were you by any chance down by El Cajon?".

"Did somebody commit vandalism down there as well?" Stewart sneers.

"Someone driving a car with a license plate beginning 'GYK', probably a Taurus, tried to run Keith and Veronica Mars off the road that night," Sacks explains. "We have a credit card receipt that you were in the area that evening."

"What is this, a police state?! How dare you access our credit card records without a warrant?" Stewart sputters.

"Actually, credit card receipts are public records," Sacks demurs.

Rose says firmly, "We had dinner at Bongiovanni Restaurant to celebrate our anniversary."

"And on the way home, did you try to run the Mars off the road?" Sacks reiterates.

"Absolutely not! I resent your implications, deputy. I'll be lodging a formal complaint to the sheriff. Please leave, if you have any more questions, I'd like you to contact our attorney." Stewart stands up and escorts Sacks to the door, slamming it behind him.

----------

VERONICA

I've never been so nervous in my life. My heart is pounding, my palms are sweating, and I haven't been able to eat all day. Marissa Lee seems so nice, but Mr. Solomon has warned us that she will try to sneak in surprise questions to try to get us to reveal our secrets. Logan seems calm and determined, but he's been snapping at me all day, and I know that he's nervous too; he's just had more practice hiding it from reporters. Solomon has told the anchorwoman that under no circumstances is she allowed to ask questions about my rape or my STD, but I'm scared to death that she will try anyway. I wish we didn't have to do this.

* * *

"Ay cabron, jijos de su reputa!!" Holy shit, motherfucking sons-of-bitches (approx.) 


	11. Chapter 43 to Chapter 46

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. Eventual LoVe. Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated. **I apologize (not!) for how this section ends in advance. Feel free to gripe in a review.****  
**

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Defending Your Life  
**The _20/20_ interview.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Anchorwoman: Gail O'Grady. Keith: Enrico  
Colantoni. Eckwood Solomon: Alan Dale.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: "DEFENDING YOUR LIFE"

"Good evening, welcome to a special live edition of 20/20. Tonight, we present an exclusive interview with Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls, live from Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, where Mr. Echolls is recovering from an accident caused by paparazzi photographers." The camera pans over Veronica and Logan; Veronica wanly smiles, but Logan merely looks focused and attentive to the anchorwoman.

"Miss Mars, may I call you Veronica?" Marissa Lee smiles. "This has been such a difficult time for you. Can you tell us a little about your mother?"

"Before my mother was found murdered, I hadn't spoken to her in three and a half years. She left Neptune at that time; we had tried to get her to go to rehab, to try to get her to stop drinking. In fact, we used my entire college fund to finance her rehab. But she wasn't able to complete rehab; she started drinking again and left town." Veronica wipes a tear, and continues. "She didn't even make it to my graduation. It was..."

The camera cuts to Marissa, looking empathetic.

Veronica struggles, and finally says, "It was my mother's dream for me to go to a college like Stanford or Yale. She wasn't always a drunk; she was an incredible mother who loved me unconditionally. She began to fall apart after Lilly Kane was murdered and my dad was blamed for supposedly botching the investigation."

Solomon, their attorney, nods; 'supposedly' is one of the words he's been stressing to Veronica all day.

"After my dad lost the sheriff position, my mother ran away from Neptune, and I searched for her desperately. When I finally located her, I tried to help her get control of her drinking. It was my idea to use my college fund to pay for her rehab, she didn't want to do it. But my mother needed more help than I or rehab could give her, and she disappeared again."

"Do you know anything about your mother's life before she was murdered?" the anchorwoman asks, looking concerned.

Veronica sighs. "My mother was arrested for drug possession; we think she may have been selling drugs. She served some time while waiting for trial, and then was sentenced to rehab." Solomon told Veronica to skip over who paid for Lianne's last stint in rehab. Veronica continues, "We're not sure what happened after she left rehab, but a witness claimed that she was drunk or high the night she was killed. We think she began drinking and possibly using again. I wish...I wish she had let me help her," Veronica chokes out.

"So she didn't contact you?" Marissa asks.

"No, and...I just wish she had, maybe I could have helped her. It was a complete shock for me and my dad when we were told that she had been found dead," Veronica says quietly, wiping another tear.

The camera catches Logan looking worriedly at Veronica, then pans back to the anchorwoman.

Marissa continues. "Then two weeks later, Clarence Wiedman turned up murdered as well. And you were arrested. What was your reaction to being charged with the murder of Clarence Wiedman, Veronica?"

Veronica thinks, fleetingly, _I was overjoyed, you dumbass reporter._ She recovers and says, "It was a nightmare, someone familiar with forensics had made it look as though I was there," Veronica replies, exactly parroting the statement Solomon had devised for her and planting the seed that she had been framed. "I have an alibi for the time of the murder, backed by video evidence. The forensic evidence was proved to have obtained at another time, which indicated that it had been planted by the actual murderer."

Marissa says, "But now a witness claims to have seen you as well."

"Why would the witness wait until now to offer evidence? My attorneys believe that we'll have no problem demonstrating the unreliability of this supposed eyewitness testimony," Veronica explains. Solomon gives her an extremely subtle thumbs-up.

"Why did you turn to Mr. Echolls for help when you were arrested?" Marissa asks, changing tactics.

Logan interrupts. "Marissa, I offered to help Veronica. We have been friends for years and she and her dad have often helped me in the past."

"Even though Veronica accused your father of murdering your girlfriend, Lilly Kane?" Marissa says, probingly.

"Veronica sought the truth and found it. Lilly was her best friend, and I was Veronica's friend as well. I was devastated to learn that my father could commit such a heinous crime," Logan replies.

"So you do believe that it was your father in fact who did kill Lilly Kane, not her brother Duncan?"

"Yes, it was my father. Duncan had nothing to do with Lilly's murder," Logan avers.

"Have you spoken to Duncan since he ran away from Neptune with his baby?"

Logan says, "No, I've had no contact with him." Veronica is silent. Logan continues, "We know he loves his daughter and was willing to sacrifice his own life to ensure her safety and happiness. We are sure that Duncan had nothing to do with these murders."

Solomon has advised them strongly to refrain from mentioning the Mannings at all costs, and to stress Duncan's good behavior.

"When we return, we'll have a segment on the _Dateline_ reporter, Carolyn Murray. It appears that her recent coverage on the Neptune murders failed to reveal an astonishing secret." Marissa can't quite keep the glee from her voice that they have discovered dirt on a competitor.

The director calls, "We're clear."

The anchorwoman says to Veronica, "Relax, dear, it's going very well."

Logan looks over at Veronica and squeezes her hand. The director, seeing an opportunity, nudges the cameraman, who unobtrusively films the moment.

----------

Keith is cleaning the Mars' apartment, preparing for Logan to arrive the next day, and trying to keep his mind off the live interview that he knows is going on at that moment. His cell rings.

"Dad, they're on a commercial. They're going to show a segment on Carrie next so there's a little break," Veronica says quietly, speaking on the phone from the nurses' station.

"How's it going? I've been worried about you."

"I guess it's going okay. The attorney seems happy." She lowers her voice. "It's so hard, Daddy. I keep starting to cry," she says, with a wobble in her voice.

"Veronica, it's all going to be over soon. When you get here tomorrow, I'll tell you about Leo's latest idea. I know we're on the right track now."

Keith hears a voice calling 'Veronica?' in the background. She says, "Dad, I have to get back."

"Call me back when it's over, I need to tell you something...I love you, honey."

"I love you, Dad."

Keith terminates the call and continues to clean the apartment. _How can this place get so messy when I'm never here?_ Spying a stack of DVD cases by the television, he collects them and takes them to the bookshelf to file them away. He is filing _'The Maltese Falcon'_ between _'The Magnificent Seven'_ and _'The Manchurian Candidate'_ when he notices the cover on the DVD. He stops short as he recognizes the lettering on the paper insert of the case. Keith gets his briefcase and takes out his file of the threatening letters.

After a half an hour of comparing the cut-out letters and words on the notes to his DVD cases, he is sure that all the letters were made from the inserts from six movies: _'The Maltese Falcon', 'The Big Sleep', 'Kiss Me Deadly', 'Double Indemnity', 'Touch of Evil'_ and _'Out of the Past'_. Keith stares at the DVDs, thinking _What kind of religious nut likes noir movies?_

----------

As Veronica returns to Logan's room, she hears the voiceover from an interview with Carrie's journalism professor.

"Ms. Murray was never an outstanding student, and we discovered that she had plagiarized, not once but twice. She offered one of her professors sexual favors in return for an improved grade, and we had to expel her. She is absolutely lacking in journalistic integrity," the professor comments with disdain.

"Would you be surprised to learn that Ms. Murray was sleeping with Mr. Echolls, the target of her investigation?" the reporter asks, smarmily.

"Not at all, she proved repeatedly here at USC that she would do anything to advance her career, except be a responsible journalist," he replies.

As Veronica retakes her seat next to Logan's bed, she notices the photo of Logan and Carrie on the director's video monitor and she feels short of breath again.

Marissa asks Logan, "Carolyn Murray never revealed to you that she was a reporter?"

Logan shakes his head, and says, "She represented herself as a fellow UCLA student."

"You must feel betrayed, Logan."

Veronica mentally rolls her eyes at the anchorwoman's asinine comment.

Logan says calmly, "My family has been the target of unscrupulous reporters before." He knows what is coming from the pre-interview, and he steels himself for her next question.

"Logan, you've had quite a few run-ins with the law in the past. The bum fights, your trial for the murder of a gang member, an assault on police property...so much trouble for such a young life."

"Marissa, I'm the first person to own up to my mistakes. I'm...ashamed of my past behavior. My dad was a magnet for sex-crazed groupies, and our home was constantly filled with turmoil. I reacted like an adolescent; I found every way I could to embarrass my father and shame him the way that he shamed me by cheating on my mother publicly. I was trying to punish him. Eventually my life spun out of control; I've...I've been unable to find my way. I've had my problems with drinking as well." He stalls a little, taking a sip of water.

Logan feels Veronica's eyes on him, supporting him, but he avoids her gaze, trying to keep his courage together, to say what he must say. The director notices and keeps the camera on Veronica's face, filming her reaction as Logan continues. "When you speak of betrayal, you can't begin to understand the feelings I had when I witnessed my father...having sex with my girlfriend. And then to realize that he murdered her as well, was...horrifying. Aaron Echolls welcomed publicity of any type and lived a life of immoral excess. But I can't excuse my problems by claiming bad parenting or substance abuse, I have to admit to my weaknesses and try to overcome them."

"You've actually done something quite amazing to overcome your past, haven't you," Marissa comments.

"I don't know if it's amazing. I've been fortunate enough to inherit a great deal of money. I've donated a large portion of it to establish a battered women's shelter in Neptune."

"The mayor has commented that your shelter, called 'The Bridge', is the largest single charitable donation ever made in Neptune by an individual. You originally made this donation anonymously. Why are you revealing it at this time?" Marissa asks.

"I guess I feel like I have to defend myself. The interview that aired on Tuesday night felt like a personal attack against me and Veronica."

"Veronica, do you feel that way as well?"

Veronica replies, "Absolutely. I believe with all my heart that I was framed for Clarence Wiedman's murder by someone with a grudge against me."

There is a beat of silence; the director catches a shot of Logan, his jaw tense with anger at the thought of a vendetta against Veronica.

Marissa says, "An outsider might question why someone would have a grudge against a teenager."

Veronica replies, "I haven't had a normal teenager's life. My best friend was killed; several of my classmates were killed in a horrific bus bombing; and serial rapists targeted women at my college."

"And you were instrumental in solving those crimes, isn't that true?" Marissa asks.

"Yes...my dad, who was the Sheriff of Neptune, trained me in investigative techniques from an early age and had me work cases with him when he became a private investigator. I..." she hesitates, then plunges on, "I felt I had to investigate these incidents, since they were so close to me. Sometimes I lost my perspective and came close to breaking the law in a search for the truth," she says, mentally crossing her fingers.

"So you believe someone connected with a case from your past is targeting you for revenge?" Marissa queries.

"I don't know...Marissa, this has been a terrible time for me. I've been trying to grieve over my mother's death and the tragic end of her life, and instead I've had to hire attorneys and defend myself against false accusations." Veronica glances at Logan, who smiles at her in support.

Seeing Logan's smile, Marissa quickly jumps in on an off-limit question. "Logan, you and Veronica were once boyfriend and girlfriend. Have you resumed your relationship?"

Solomon puts up his right hand, signaling Logan to stop. Logan ignores him, saying, "Veronica and I are like family. We will always have a connection through Lilly Kane."

The camera catches Veronica's look of longing despite her best intention to maintain a poker face. The director then quickly inserts the footage he taped before of Logan reaching for Veronica's hand. Eckwood Solomon notices the discrepancy on the video monitor and jumps up to protest just as the director yells, "Cut...we're clear."

"Son of a bitch! You just violated our agreement not to edit the interview," Solomon yells.

"So sue me, counselor...You know, that edit makes your clients look more sympathetic; you shouldn't be bitching," the director replies sarcastically.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Closer  
**Reaction to the _20/20_ interview; the investi-  
gation gets closer to the truth.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Eli: Francis Capra. Wallace: Percy Daggs III.  
Mac: Tina Majorino. Dick: Ryan Hansen  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Eckwood Solomon:  
Alan Dale. Ryan Kavner: Eric Bana.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: "CLOSER"

Weevil knocks on the door of Mac's and Veronica's dorm room. He's carrying a cup of Mac's favorite coffee from Java the Hut; he learned about her caffeine addiction when she tutored him in high school and figures she could use a fix right about now.

Wallace opens the door. "Hey, Weevil, we're getting ready to watch the show."

Dick waves "hi" unenthusiastically from across the room.

Weevil thinks, _coño, the rumors are true, Mac is hanging out with La Pinga._ He shakes his head, trying to rid himself of some nasty images. "Yo, Mac, I thought you could use some Joltin' Java. Keith told me you were trying to do some hacking into the computers at the rehab clinic."

Bleary-eyed, Mac reaches for the coffee, smiling gratefully. "Thanks, Eli."

"Any progress?"

"No...I just can't seem to get past the one firewall," Mac says, frustrated.

"Would it help if I got you into the Physics supercomputer again?" Weevil asks hopefully.

"I wish. But it's not a matter of computing power. This is a system I've never seen used in this way before," she sighs. "I just have to keep trying different things."

"You'll get it, Mac," Dick says loyally. "You just need a little break...I think the interview's going to be killin'. Logan called before, he was pretty amped up, but he said they worked all day with his attorney and they think they're good to go."

Weevil wonders, _What it is that makes these crazy white girls go for these fucked-up '09er's?_

Looking at his watch, Wallace says, "7:55. They're actually almost done taping, and then they're going to show it on tape delay at 8:00. Normally, they'd show it at 10:00, but since there's so much local interest they moved it up to 8:00." He grabs the remote and turns on the television with the sound muted, not wanting to miss a moment of the show.

When the show finally comes on, they are all silent; everyone is hanging on Veronica's and Logan's words, hoping that the show will turn around the negative publicity that has filled the local papers over the last three days.

----------

In Los Angeles, Veronica and Logan are watching themselves on tape. Logan thinks, _ we sound too rehearsed._ Veronica thinks, _my tears look artificial._ The attorney keeps telling them that they did a great job, and that it's the best pre-trial publicity Veronica could hope for. Veronica thinks, _there's nothing good about 'pretrial publicity'.  
_  
When Logan talks about seeing his father and Lilly having sex, the camera stays on Veronica's face: determined, supportive, loving. Veronica, embarrassed at her naked emotions visible to the world, closes her eyes; Logan looks at her in surprise. Later, in the interview, when the camera catches Logan's fury at the idea of someone holding a grudge against Veronica, she stares at him, forcing him to meet her eyes before finally looking away. At the end, they are aghast, watching the edit the director made that seems to show them clasping hands after Logan says that they are like family.

"Can they get away with that?" Logan says, bitingly.

"It's already done, there's nothing we can do. The director's right, it does make you two look more sympathetic. You two came off better than I could have wished for," Solomon says.

----------

Keith thinks the interview went very well. The attorney had made sure that the anchorwoman only served up softballs to Logan and Veronica. Keith knows that the answers were rehearsed repeatedly, but he thinks they sounded spontaneous and honest in the interview. He thinks that overall Logan and his daughter came off sympathetically. He tries to call Veronica, but it goes directly to voicemail, with a message that the mailbox is full. Keith hopes that she'll notice his missed call and remember to call him back.

As he terminates the call, the cell phone begins to vibrate. The caller ID says 'Friedman, C' and he answers the call, saying anxiously, "Hey, Corey, what have you found out?"

Corey says, "I've found out that there are several employees at Wonderland Rehab with financial problems who might be susceptible to a bribe. They were hiring kitchen staff, and I got myself hired. It would have been better to get an office position, but with our time pressure, I thought I had to get moving. Luckily, one of the cooks is a tremendous gossip, and she's already filled me in on all the intrigues. There is a secretary whose daughter has cancer who seems to be having money problems, and there's a nurse who lost a lot of money in a bad real estate deal. And one of the aides went through a divorce recently and her husband is refusing to pay child support, so she's another good candidate."

"Corey, you need to try one of them immediately. There was a break-in at my office yesterday. There have been threats before, but they seem to be getting more violent. I'm worried about my daughter's safety. If you saw the TV interview tonight..." Keith says agitatedly.

Corey breaks in, "Keith, I did see the interview. I know, we need to find this information quickly, but Wonderland makes all its employees sign an ironclad confidentiality agreement. Any employee is going to be reluctant to give out any information, knowing they could lose their job. If I pick the wrong person, they might contact their employer instead and we would lose any chance to get this information."

Keith is silent, frustrated at the situation.

"Keith, I'll call you the moment I find out anything. Try not to worry, I'm sure I'll be able to have a list of patients by Monday morning," Corey says, hanging up.

----------

Feeling as if she's lived through one of the longest days of her life, Veronica finally leaves the hospital. Logan's mood deteriorated again after they watched the show; he seemed to be unable to get past the unauthorized editing and kept harping on 'asshole reporters'. She tried unsuccessfully to cheer him up by suggesting that they invite a few of Logan's friends from the old days for dinner the next evening, and Logan told her that he didn't want to see anybody. She finally gave up and told him she'd see him in the morning. As the elevator doors open, depositing her in the basement parking garage, she rubs her hand over her forehead, trying to erase her fatigue.

She exits the elevator and walks toward her car, then stops short, realizing a man is leaning against her car. She whirls and runs back to the elevator, digging for her cell phone in her purse as she runs, wishing she hadn't had to leave her gun and taser in the car's glove compartment.

The man cries out, "Veronica! Veronica Mars, it's me, Ryan Kavner, your dad hired me!"

The words penetrate her panic, and she remembers her dad asked her to call back. She stops and turns, still holding her cell phone. Kavner holds up his hands unthreateningly. Veronica cautiously walks toward the car, then as she recognizes Kavner, she puts away her cell, and strides quickly to the car. "What do you mean, my dad hired you?"

Kavner says, "Keith hired me to watch over you tonight and to follow you and Mr. Echolls back to Neptune tomorrow. You know, bodyguard duty."

"You scared me, Kav," she says, still shaken.

"I know, I'm sorry. Keith called and said he couldn't get in touch and to try to intercept you without frightening you. He said to call him, your voicemail is full."

She just concentrates on breathing for a minute, then says, "So you're going to stay at Mr. Echolls' house with me?"

"Yes, Keith said there were two bedrooms and a couch, and I'm not to let you go anywhere alone after you leave the hospital," Kav says.

"I don't think you have to worry about that, I'm exhausted. What's that funny Israeli expression you taught me?"

"'Shavuz'?" he asks.

"Yeah, that's it. 'Shavuz', 'my dick is broken'. That sounds about right." She laughs weakly.

----------

Keith receives a phone call from Brian Avery and Alex Chansky, the two actors Keith hired to watch Mulvaney. "What happening, Brian?"

Brian says, "We got a couple photos of Mulvaney drinking with Liam Fitzpatrick while they watched the _20/20_ interview on the bar television in the River Stix. At one point, Fitzpatrick tried to throw a beer bottle at the television screen, but the bartender stopped him, and threw him out of the bar. Then Alex went over and bought Mulvaney a drink and tried to strike up a conversation with him, but he wasn't interested in being sociable." There's a murmur in the background. Brian continues, "Alex says that Mulvaney seemed worried about something."

"Okay, why don't you guys call it a night? I don't want you calling attention to yourselves by hanging around any longer. I think you got enough. I'll let you know if I want you guys to do anything else," Keith says, ending the call.

Keith goes to bed, hoping for a full night of sleep for the first time in a week.

----------

At 2 a.m., Dick wakes up and looks over to see Mac still hunched over her computer screen. "Mac, you gotta get some sleep. You're no good to Veronica if you blow a fuse. I know you'll get it."

Sighing, she says, "Maybe something will come to me in my sleep." Mac stretches and walks over to the bed. Dick folds her into his arms and she falls asleep almost immediately. He strokes her arms and kisses her neck, then snuggles into her, thinking _I've never just slept with a girl before, it's nice._ He rubs her feet with his, thankful she doesn't have freakishly long second toes.

* * *

"coño" literally the c-word, but used like fuck (exclamation of surprise)  
"La Pinga" dick

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Shall We Dance?  
**Logan leaves the hospital.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Leo: Max Greenfield. Mrs. Wiedman: Penny  
Johnson. Dick: Ryan Hansen. Keith: Enrico  
Colantoni. Dr. Crouch: Sean Maher.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: "SHALL WE DANCE?"

Dr. Crouch comes into Logan's hospital room, saying, "So you're thinking of leaving us this morning, Mr. Echolls? I have to say, your progress has really surprised me. It's almost as if you didn't like us here and wanted to get out as soon as possible. Okay, I'd like you to remember these three things. Ladder, daisy and bicycle."

The doctor checks Logan's pupils one last time by flashing his light in his eyes. Then he moves his finger from side to side, watching as Logan follows his finger. "Close your eyes now." Logan complies, and the doctor grabs his left thumb and moves it to Logan's right. "What direction did your thumb move?"

"To my right," Logan answers.

"Okay, open your eyes, and read this word." The doctor writes and shows Logan his clipboard.

Logan says, "Wheelchair, funny guy."

"Hey, I gotta have my fun somehow." Dr. Crouch moves to the foot of the bed and performs a Babinski test on Logan's left foot, checking to see that the toes curl downward as they should when he scratches Logan's sole. "What year is it?"

"2008."

"Who's the president?"

"George W. Bush, for a little while longer, unfortunately," Logan says, drily.

Dr. Crouch laughs. "Sense of humor, still intact. So, Veronica, he's going to be staying with you, right? I'd like to go over this brochure with you." He hands her a brochure entitled: _'Head Injuries: What to Watch For, Afterward'._

Veronica takes the brochure, and begins to read aloud. "'Severe headache, neck pain, nausea, vomiting, seizures.' Hmm, I might notice a seizure," she teases. "'Blood coming from the ear or nose, different pupils, weakness or numbness in the arms or legs'. And 'irritability', that's just great, how am I supposed to tell?"

Logan glares at her.

Dr. Crouch chuckles and says, "Hmm, you're right about that...Logan, what are those three things I asked you to remember?"

"Cheeseburger, French fries, and a chocolate shake...all right, ladder, daisy and bicycle," Logan says.

"Okay, you're good to go. The occupational and physical therapists cleared you. Are you sure you won't reconsider the pain meds?" Dr. Crouch asks.

Veronica looks at Logan, confused.

Embarrassed, he says, "I decided to go off the pain meds yesterday morning. I don't want to be dependent on a chemical to feel good, and I wanted a clear head for the interview."

Dr. Crouch tells Veronica, "It's not a bad idea to taper off, but I'd still like you to take a few pills in case he experiences more pain after the move. Logan, you may need them."

"All right, but I'm not taking them," he insists.

----------

Keith gets a call from Leo. "Hey, Keith, the fingerprint guy finally had a chance to look at the print we got from your office break-in. It's not a match to any of the people we were looking at: the Kanes, the Mannings, not even any of the Fitzpatricks or their cronies. When we ran a search through AIFIS database, we got some possible hits, but the best match only had five minutia points in common."

"And usually you need seven to twenty for a positive match," Keith muses.

"I don't think your vandal is in the system, Keith. This is not a career criminal," Leo concludes.

----------

Veronica, with Ryan Kavner's help, loads her car with Logan's supplies and personal items. She returns to Logan's room to find him arguing with a hospital administrator.

"I know that all this was taken care of by my attorneys," he says angrily.

"That may be true, but I don't have copies. I need a signature from a responsible person over twenty-one," the administrator insists, officiously.

"It's not a problem, I'll call my dad. Can you fax him the papers? Here's the number," Veronica tells the administrator.

"There's still the matter of the co-payments and the paperwork for assignment of insurance."

Logan tells Veronica. "Get my checkbook out of that bag." Addressing his comments to the lady, he says, "How much to get out of here right now?"

"It's not that simple, Mr. Echolls."

"It's always that simple," he snarks.

Finally, paperwork settled, Veronica pushes Logan in the wheelchair to the elevator and then down to her waiting car in the basement garage. Ryan Kavner stands by, watching, then comes to help Logan get settled in the passenger seat. Kavner collapses the wheelchair and puts it in the trunk of the car. Finally, Veronica double-checks Logan's seat belt, starts the car and heads for Neptune.

----------

Mrs. Wiedman opens her front door and says, flatly, "Deputy."

Leo says, "Hello, ma'am, how are you today? We've found out some additional information about your husband's murder and I wanted to ask you a few questions."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" she says resentfully. She opens the door wider, and escorts Leo to her living room. They sit; Mrs. Wiedman is silent, offering no pleasantries.

Leo clears his throat, and begins. "Mrs. Wiedman, it's been suggested that your husband was having an affair with a man during and after your marriage. Is that something you can confirm for me?"

She looks at him with hatred.

"Please, ma'am, I know this is painful for you, but I am just making sure that a murderer doesn't go free. I'm quite positive that Veronica Mars didn't kill your husband," he says strongly. He waits patiently for her to respond.

Finally, she answers. "Yes, he was having an affair. It was a shock to me, I didn't know he was...gay. It's not something I have any...experience with. I started divorce proceedings immediately. Clarence agreed to all my demands, including my proposed child custody arrangement; I suppose he didn't want the juicy details to get out."

"Who was he...involved with?" Leo asks, delicately.

"I don't know. I surprised them one time when I came home early. I ran out of the house; it was quite a shock as you can imagine."

"Can you describe him to me at least?" Leo queries.

"Not young, forties, I would say. White. Light brown hair. Deputy, this is quite painful for me. I'd like you to leave." She leads him out.

As the door shuts firmly behind him, Leo hopes that Keith is having more success at finding a name.

----------

After a halfhearted attempt to joke about playing license-plate bingo, Veronica gives up and lets the silence in the car wash over her for miles. Logan's volatile mood swings of the last few days have taken a toll, and she is exhausted by her efforts to cheer him up.

"I'm sorry I've been such a bastard the last few days," Logan suddenly says quietly. "You've been so great to me. You never snapped back, even when I was a total prick."

"Maybe not a total prick," she offers. "It's okay, you're in pain, I get it."

"It's not the pain. I'm just...I'm scared..." he starts. _I'm scared you're going to leave me again. I'm scared you're only here because I'm hurt. I'm scared you're only here because you feel guilty._ "I'm scared that you're going to go to prison," he finally finishes, leaving it all unsaid.

She glances at him, then looks back at the road, pretending to concentrate on her driving. Trying unsuccessfully for a lighter tone, she replies, "I'm scared too." _I'm scared I'm going to screw it up again. I'm scared of the way I feel when I'm around you. I'm scared of your anger._ She points to the radio and says, "How about some tunes?"

"AM/FM Radio," Logan notes. "Not even a tape player. I thought the 'Le Barone' was a ghetto ride. What happened to your Saturn anyways?" He plays with the buttons and selects a radio station.

Hesitantly, she tells him, "Someone tried to run Dad and me off the road about a week ago. We thought it would be a good idea to get different cars in case whoever it was decides to try it again, so Weevil's uncle hooked us up."

"Is that why that guy is following us, too?" Logan points back with his thumb.

"Yes. Kav is an ex-Mossad agent. Dad's used him on cases before," she explains.

"I'm glad you're letting your Dad protect you, Veronica," he says after a moment.

"When he got your email, he went ballistic. But, it's actually been good, we talked a lot and compared notes. I really am trying to be more careful," she replies.

Logan looks at her. Just then, the radio starts playing '_Sway_' and Veronica blushes and says, "Of all the songs in all the gin joints in the world..." She reaches to turn the station.

Logan reaches out to stop her, saying, "No, don't. I like this song."

Veronica concentrates on her driving as the song plays. Logan watches her drive and thinks about the last time the two of them heard that song together: he and Veronica, tentatively holding onto each other, dancing and wondering during the Sadie Hawkins Spring Fling.

Leaning his head against the car window, he continues to stare at her, but Veronica steadfastly keeps her eyes on the road, suddenly afraid to look at him.

_I talk to you as to a friend  
I hope that's what you've come to be  
It feels as though we've made amends  
Like we found a way eventually_

_It was you who picked the pieces up  
When I was a broken soul  
And then glued me back together  
Returned to me what others stole_

_I don't wanna hurt you  
I don't wanna make you sway  
Like I know I've done before  
I will not do it anymore  
I've always been a dreamer  
I've had my head among the clouds  
Now that I'm coming down  
Won't you be my solid ground?_

There was a time when Logan helplessly, compulsively, listened to this song: playing it over and over, trying to make sense of it, trying to understand how this band could have known his and Veronica's story. He looks at her, memorizing once again every curve and angle of her face.

_I look at you and see a friend  
I hope that's what you wanna be  
Are we back now where it all began?  
Have you finally forgiven me?_

_You gathered my dreams in  
When they all blew away  
And then tricked them back into me  
You saved me I was almost dead_

_I don't wanna hurt you  
I don't wanna make you sway  
Like I know I've done before  
I will not do it anymore  
I've always been a dreamer  
I've had my head among the clouds  
Now that I'm coming down  
Won't you be my solid ground?_

Whenever she thinks of this particular song, Veronica inevitably fast forwards to a night a few weeks later in their senior year, to the night of the Alterna-Prom. She regards it as the night that Logan caught her off guard and exposed the feelings that had resurfaced at the Spring Fling. She is desperately afraid to remember his speech about being 'epic', petrified that she will let her guard down again. The specificity of _Sway'_s lyrics destroy her every time she happens to hear it, almost as if it's a soundtrack for the hesitations and missteps of their love affair. She tries to concentrate on breathing.

_I don't wanna hurt you  
Like I know I've done before  
I will not do it anymore..._

_I don't wanna hurt you  
I don't wanna make you sway  
Like I know I've done before  
I will not do it anymore  
I've always been a dreamer  
I've had my head among the clouds  
Now that I'm coming down  
Won't you be my solid ground?_

"It hasn't all been misery and tragedy for us, Veronica," Logan says gently after the song concludes.

Finally she glances at him, but doesn't respond. She remembers how it was, going back to his room after Alterna-Prom and finding him with Kendall, and feels more uncertain and desolated than ever. _Have I finally forgiven him?_ She focuses on the road and speeds up a little, anxious to get back to Neptune.

Suddenly another thought hits her. _Has Logan really changed? Is a person who reacts to bad news by breaking a glass door any different from the person who broke my car headlights, burned down a swimming pool, and beat up my boyfriend? What am I doing?  
_  
----------_  
_  
After Logan and Veronica arrive in Neptune, the afternoon flies by. Keith and Veronica get Logan settled into Veronica's bedroom. The private nurse they have engaged for daily visits stops by and pronounces Logan's condition as 'acceptable'.

Keith notices Veronica's subdued mood and draws her aside, asking if everything's okay.

She just says, "I'm a little tired from dealing with Mr. Crankypants." She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"You guys did really great last night," Keith says. "I know it was hard for both of you, but I think it was the right thing to do."

Veronica shrugs in response. Keith, still worried, wonders what is preoccupying her. He hugs her, saying, "I love you, Veronica."

She replies, "I know. I love you too."

Keith says, "Veronica, I want to show you something." He takes her to his desk and shows her the DVD inserts and the letters.

She compares them, and makes the connection right away. "The letters were all made from these DVD inserts?" she says, quizzically. "Is that supposed to be a message to you?"

"If it's a message, I'm not receiving it," he replies. "I don't understand what noir film has to do with vengeance and the wrath of God."

Veronica stares at the DVDs, trying to understand the connection.

Dick stops by, and he and Logan manage to laugh a bit about the _20/20_ interview. "You and Ronnie are the next Bennifer. They're going to call you Loronica. Next thing you know, you're going to go to Africa and adopt a bunch of grubby kids," Dick says.

"We'll have to get married and have a messy public divorce first...Good thing we have Cliff on retainer," Logan snarks.

Keith surreptitiously checks his voicemail throughout the afternoon, hoping for news from Corey. He pulls Dick aside and asks about Mac's progress. Dick shakes his head, saying, "Nothing yet, but she hasn't given up."

Deciding that there's nothing more to be done that night, except to try to have a relaxing evening, Keith suggests pizza and a movie. He holds up the DVD for _The Big Lebowski_, Veronica's second most favorite movie, and Veronica and Logan nod their agreement.

Veronica remains quiet throughout dinner. Keith and Logan exchange a glance when she refuses a second slice of pizza. Keith feels her forehead in mock concern, saying, "She feels normal, well, as normal as this one ever feels." She smiles at him weakly, saying, "I'm just a little tired." After they finish eating, she excuses herself and goes into the bathroom.

When she doesn't emerge after a few minutes, Keith goes to the door and knocks quietly. "Everything okay, honey?"

"Yes, I'll be out in a minute."

He waits a moment, then asks, "Okay if I come in?"

She unlocks the door, and he enters the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind him. Veronica sits on the closed commode, her chin resting on her clasped hands.

Keith leans against the door and asks, "Honey, what's going on? Are you worried about Monday?"

"Yes, I guess so..." Veronica replies. She asks, "Dad, do you think it's possible for people to change?"

_Uh-oh, loaded question._ He thinks for a minute, and asks, "In what way?"

"Well, do you think people can...change for the better?"

"Okay, let's see...Here's what I do know. If you keep a catalog of a person's misdeeds, they will surely live up to your worst expectations. A person is more than the sum of their strengths and flaws. I guess I'm saying a good person is one who is there for you when you need them the most."

_The one who comes through even when you don't love them enough,_ she thinks. "You mean the one who stays when the going gets rough. The way you stayed, and Mom didn't."

"Veronica, I'm not sure I can ever forgive your mother for running when you needed her the most."

"Mom wasn't very strong."

"No, she wasn't. I wish...I wish I could have helped her to be stronger," he says wistfully.

"Dad, you couldn't..." she replies loyally.

"No, you're right, I couldn't." After a minute, Keith says, "Come on, let's watch the movie and forget about everything for a couple hours. You have the rest of your life to figure this out, you don't have to do it tonight." He kisses her on the top of his head and exits the bathroom.

After a moment, she splashes some water on her face and returns to the kitchen, saying, "You know, I think I want another slice after all." She grabs a slice, still thinking about 'the one who stays when the going gets rough'.

Keith continues to watch his daughter as the movie starts. He's relieved when she grabs the remote and makes them watch John Turturro's "Jesus the Bowler" scene again. She cracks up when he licks the bowling bar, and says along with the character, "Let me tell you something, pendejo...Nobody fucks with the Jesus."

"What is it you like so much about this movie, Veronica?" Logan asks. He teases her, "Is it the glorification of slacker culture?"

"Nope," she replies.

"The emphasis on the lowbrow sport of bowling?"

"Nope."

"Okay, I know, it's the gratuitous and prolific use of the F-word," Keith chimes in.

She shakes her head no.

"Stoner dream sequences?" Logan suggests.

"Nope, it's the marmot in the bathtub," she answers, smiling broadly. Keith chuckles, thinking that his Veronica is back in form.

During the movie, Veronica keeps looking at Logan and Keith, wondering at how they are laughing easily with each other. She catches herself thinking how right it feels to have Logan around. His mood has improved dramatically, and he laughs unselfconsciously at the ridiculous antics of The Dude. Their eyes meet several times as they giggle over the movie, and she realizes how much she's been missing Logan's smile over the last few days of stress and anxiety.

When the private detective scene comes on, Keith grumbles, "Typecasting PI's as out-of-shape bald men...Goddammit, why couldn't they at least get Bruce Willis."

"The truth hurts, Dad," Veronica snarks. She catches Logan's eye again, and they burst out laughing at Keith's indignation.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Insomnia  
**Veronica and Logan aren't getting much  
sleep.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: "INSOMNIA"

The movie concludes and Keith gets up, chuckling as he repeats, "'The dude abides'." He thinks, _This is the happiest I've seen Veronica since her mom died, I'm glad she got out of her funk._ "I think I'm going to hit the sack, guys. Do you need help, Logan?"

Logan begins wheeling himself toward the bedroom. Keith follows to help him get settled for the night. He's able to do a lot more for himself now, using one crutch for support. Logan maneuvers himself onto the bed and Keith helps him take off the clothes he's been wearing, leaving Logan in shorts and a T-shirt. Veronica comes to the doorway, wanting to say goodnight. She scrupulously keeps her eyes averted while Keith helps Logan get under the covers. Keith says, "Goodnight," and goes to his bedroom, glancing at his daughter waiting by the door.

Veronica comes in the room, saying, "I just want to make sure you have everything you need." Logan watches her fuss, getting a pitcher of water and a cup, making sure his pain meds are in easy reach should he change his mind and decide to take them. She has changed into a Hearst College sweatshirt and skintight yoga pants and pulled back her blonde hair into a ponytail, and Logan thinks _she's never looked sexier_. Her ponytail bobs up and down as she smooths the covers on her bed--temporarily his bed--and he can't help but think of other times he watched that particular bobbing motion. He shuts his eyes to blot out her image to try to regain some control, and Veronica hustles over to ask if he's okay.

"Logan? Are you sure you don't want to take the pain meds?"

He shakes his head no. "I'm okay, it's just been a long day."

"If you're sure...can I get you anything else before I go to bed?" she asks.

_Nothing, unless you take off those clothes and get in your bed with me..._With an effort, he says, "Good night, Veronica, see you in the morning. That was fun tonight."

"Yes, we really needed some fun," she replies.

As she shuts the door, he can't help but think of peeling off those skintight yoga pants. He shakes his head, forcing his thoughts elsewhere. He looks around the room and sees a copy of Keith's book, _'Neptune Undercover'_ on the bookshelf above the bed. Logan settles down to read himself to sleep with Keith's steamy tales of detection and sordid goings-on.

----------

Veronica lays down on the couch and pulls the covers up. It took all her self-control not to plant a steamy goodnight kiss on Logan. She thinks about one memorable time when they made love in that bed when her dad was out of town. They had to lock Backup out in the living room because he had wanted to join in with their exuberant enjoyment of each other's bodies. She thinks about crying out "Logan!" while Backup barked his approval outside the door.

She thinks, impulsively, _I want that again. I have forgiven him for Kendall and Madison. I'm ready to trust him. I do believe he's changed. I want to tell him I love him._ But she suddenly remembers her conversation two days ago with Logan's therapist.

_FLASHBACK: Dr. Friedman looks at Veronica with gentle concern. "I'm not saying you're putting pressure on Logan, but it's true that he feels pressured...Just be patient, my dear, he truly cares about you, whether he can show it now or not. Let him heal a bit before you try to talk. Let him think things over and get stronger."_

Veronica goes over and over Dr. Friedman's words, thinking that giving Logan time to heal may be the hardest thing she's ever had to do._  
_  
----------

Logan reads Keith's novel until he gets drowsy and shuts off the light. As he lays in Veronica's bed waiting for sleep to come, he continues to think about _'Neptune Undercover'_. Something is tickling at his brain, something from the period that he always thinks of as the beginning of the end, when he and Veronica started to have serious relationship problems at the beginning of their freshman year at Hearst. He's gone over that time in his head repeatedly, obsessively, trying to understand what went wrong and hopelessly trying to identify what he should have done, what he could have done. It's a time that's burned into his brain, that can never be forgotten, because of what resulted from it. But it's something from the periphery of this period that is nagging at him now, something about Keith.

----------

Several hours later, Veronica has still not fallen asleep; she is laying awake thinking about Logan and the arraignment on Monday and who could hate her so much if it's not the Kanes or the Mannings. Her life has never felt more out of control than this moment, and she knows she'll never get to sleep. She's about to give up and find a book to read when she hears a noise from her bedroom. She sits upright, listening.

Veronica goes to the door, and opens it cautiously. When she peeks in, she sees that Logan is tossing around in the bed, obviously having a nightmare, muttering and groaning. She walks in quietly and sits on the bed on Logan's relatively unhurt left side, and shakes him gently. "Logan, Logan, wake up, you're having a bad dream..."

After a moment, Logan looks up at her, confused, still in the throes of his dream.

"It's okay, you're safe here," Veronica says, smiling.

He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath, but doesn't reply.

She gets up and gets a damp washcloth from the bathroom. She returns and sits on the bed with one leg tucked underneath her, facing Logan. She gently wipes Logan's forehead, which has beads of sweat from his night terror.

"That feels good," he finally says, keeping his eyes closed. "Thanks."

"Do you want to tell me about your dream? Was it that one where you haven't gone to class all semester and it's the final exam? I've had that one a lot lately," she says lightly.

"For good reason...maybe you should start going to class," he retorts good-naturedly.

"Hey!" She pretends to punch his shoulder. "Come on, you never used to have nightmares, what's going on?"

Logan drops his eyes. "I've had this particular nightmare on and off for over a year." He stops talking, then makes up his mind, and continues telling her about the dream. "In the dream, I wake up on a bed covered in blood. I'm not sure what happened, it's very quiet, there's no sound at all. But I can smell the blood, it's nauseating, it's so strong smelling."

"Then what?" Veronica asks gently.

"That's not enough?" Logan says. "I decide to try to find out where the blood is coming from. I look all over my body, and I don't find any wounds. Then I check my head, and there's a bullet hole. It's the weirdest thing, I put my finger in the hole and feel all around, but there's no pain, I'm just discovering this extra hole in my head. Then I hear something and I turn around..."

"Well, don't stop there!" Veronica whispers impatiently.

"It used to be Gory Sorokin pointing a gun at me."

"Used to be?" Veronica asks, puzzled.

"A few months ago..." Logan stops, too embarrassed to continue.

Veronica stays silent, waiting.

In a rush, he tells her, "A few months ago, I was seeing a married woman, and her husband came home and surprised us. He hit the wife and pulled a gun on me, told me to get out. Ever since, in the dream sometimes it's Gory, sometimes the husband, but every time, after I turn around, I fall down and the world goes a little black, and I'm paralyzed, I can't move a muscle to get away," he continues, the words spilling out.

"Logan, have you heard from Gory at all since you left Hearst?"

"No, but he swore he'd get me someday...I had a bodyguard for awhile, but after I moved to Los Angeles, I got an unlisted phone number, and eventually, it seemed silly to have the bodyguard," Logan says. "I know, with all the databases now, if he really wanted to find me, he could. It's almost pointless to have an unlisted phone number."

"I have to tell you something," Veronica says slowly. "Don't be mad at me."

"What did you do?" Logan says, quietly angry.

Veronica tells him about the Castle hard drive, that it contained encrypted incriminating information on every candidate for the secret society, gained during the hazing rituals. "That's how I knew Gory was connected. He told a story about witnessing his dad and uncle committing a murder, with all the details. Mac helped me to break the encryption, then we copied the information and returned the hard drive to Jake Kane."

"That's what was on the hard drive that cost your dad the election?"

She nods, grimly. "Finding out who made my sex video was ultimately my worst vanity project. It wasn't worth it. The damage had been done, people had already seen the video. So I blew it for Dad, for nothing."

Logan is silent; he knows how hard it is for her to admit such a big mistake. He knows just how much she loves her dad and realizes she would do anything to take back her actions.

"Afterwards, I gave a list of the Castle members to Nish, trying to salvage some good out of my mistake. When I heard that Gory had threatened to hurt you, I did the only thing I could think of to protect you and me. I made a copy of the information on Gory, gave it to three attorneys with instructions to mail it to the Feds if either you or I were seriously injured or killed. I mailed a copy to Gory telling him what I had done, and that he was to leave us alone or his father and uncle would go to prison. I heard that he transferred to a college on the East Coast the next semester, and I hoped he had decided just to leave us alone."

Logan listens, processing this information.

"I wanted to tell you, but all we ever did was fight around that time; I didn't want to hear from you that I had taken yet another insane risk. Then you moved away. Eventually, I heard you had transferred to UCLA, and I assumed since I didn't hear from you that you didn't want to have anything to do with me."

"I needed a fresh start. My grades were shit that first year, and I didn't like any of my classes. When Aaron's agent suggested that he could probably get me into film school at UCLA, I jumped at the chance to start over. And..." Logan stops talking.

"You wanted to get away from me," Veronica finishes for him.

"I wanted to get away from the fighting. I couldn't understand why it wasn't easier for us, I just...loved you so much, and it seemed you didn't even like me enough to be friends..." Logan's voice trails off.

Veronica's heart breaks at his words. "Oh, Logan..." She looks directly into his eyes; uncomfortable, he looks away. "Logan, I...I'm so sorry about everything." Before she can change her mind, she leans down and kisses him.

Logan can't believe it. He thinks, _I thought I would never kiss these lips again. _ In awe, he caresses her baby-fine hair and kisses her back intensely. He releases her hair from its ponytail and runs his fingers through her silky tresses.

_What am I doing?_ Veronica thinks suddenly. _This is not giving him time...I'm screwing it up again._ Panicking, she pulls back, stammering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."


	12. Chapter 47

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

**Rating: This section is HARD R, maybe NC-17. It features hot, dirty lovin' between two consenting adults of the opposite sex. At least I hope it's hot and dirty. If you are under 17, your mother was right, and you will go blind if you read this.**

**Thanks to VMLoVeR87 who previewed this and reassured me.**

Characters: Ensemble. LoVe. Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mar's junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you).

**Praise me/Flame me, just don't ignore me. Stop lurking and write a review! Lonely writer-girl is sitting in the woods typing 98,000+ words wondering what the readers think. "Okay I'm reading. Oh yeah, baby, baby." (Seriously, I broke the 'return' key on my computer from typing too much.)**

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Snatch  
**Logan and Veronica get busy.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN, PART ONE: "SNATCH"

_What am I doing?_ Veronica thinks suddenly. _This is not giving him time...I'm screwing it up again._ Panicking, she pulls back, stammering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." She starts to stand up, but Logan grabs her hand in a viselike grip.

"If you don't kiss me again, I'll never forgive you," he whispers fiercely. He pulls her back to him. He kisses her with the longing of a year and a half filled with unsatisfying substitutes. His tongue presses for entry insistently; her lips part and he darts and swoops, thrilling her with the remembrance of his passion. She gives a little gasp, breathing, "I've missed that."

He smiles ruefully; right now his limitations from his injuries are killing him. He wants to rip off her clothes, throw caution to the wind, go down on her, make love to her violently and excessively. He groans a little in frustration.

"What's the matter? Are you hurting? Do you want me to move?" Veronica says quickly, thinking he's in pain.

"I want you to take off your sweatshirt for me," he replies quietly. His eyes burn into hers, the pupils dilated with arousal.

She feels herself being drawn inexorably into those eyes again and catches her breath. His naked desire and vulnerability are palpable and irresistible. She obeys, taking off her sweatshirt and a T-shirt underneath as Logan pulls off the bedcovers. Her breath quickens as she sees his boxers tented to a pornographic angle. She moves closer and reaches to caress him through his boxers, but he whispers, "No, not yet, Veronica."

With his left hand, he reaches for her breast, touching it ever-so-gently; her head falls back in appreciation and she moans "ahh" at the lightness of his touch. He teases her, continually intensifying his caresses and then pulling back, resuming feather touches and slow languorous slides along the underside of her breast.

Suddenly he tweaks her nipple in the way he knows she loves, and she melts, muttering, "Please, Logan...don't stop."

He smiles wickedly, saying, "What will you do for me, baby?"

"Anything." She leans in to encourage him to touch her more aggressively.

He takes his hand away; at her sigh of disappointment, he quietly demands, "Take off your pants and kneel on the bed." In the haze of her arousal, she complies, standing up and pulling off her yoga pants, folding them carefully and placing them on the dresser. She looks over her shoulder, smiling, knowing she's torturing him with her deliberateness. Keeping her back to him, she slowly pulls down her panties, swaying her hips and displaying her ass to him by leaning down.

He groans, and demands, "Get back here now..."

Completely naked, she kneels in front of him on the bed. He shakes his head, saying, "Knees wider." She obeys, and he replaces his left hand on her breast. He whispers, "I want you to touch yourself. Slowly."

A little discomfited, she hesitates, feeling too vulnerable.

"Come on, touch yourself for me," he urges, loving her sudden shyness. "You're beautiful, baby, touch yourself."

She regards him, then slowly reaches down and begins to caress herself, slowly, gently. Logan watches, palming her breast and paying extra attention to her over stimulated nipple. "Do you feel good, baby?" he croons to her. "You look so amazing right now. Tell me if you're wet, baby."

Softly, she says, "Ye-es."

"I couldn't hear you, Veronica," he chides. "Are you wet for me, baby?"

"Oh God, yes," she replies.

"Put your fingers in your pussy for me." He switches to her other breast, never taking his eyes off her. He begins to flick her nipple, causing her to shudder. He watches carefully as she slides in one finger, then two; almost as if she has come to a decision, she shakes herself in determination and begins to work her fingers in and out.

"So beautiful," he encourages her. "Don't stop, I love watching you pleasing yourself."

She relaxes a little at his loving words and begins to pump her hips a little, increasing her enjoyment.

"Now put your fingers in my mouth, I want to taste you."

She reluctantly removes her fingers and extends them to Logan, who greedily sucks on them. He suddenly moves his left hand from her breast to her pussy, and begins to fuck her violently with his fingers, thumbing her clit.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god...Logan!" she cries out. She starts to fall backward and has to take her hand back to steady herself.

"Shhh, your dad...God, Veronica, I love the way you taste. I could come just from smelling your beautiful pussy. Give me back your fingers," he begs her, whispering intensely.

She returns her fingers to his mouth and repositions herself to give Logan a better angle, rocking against his thumb to get the pressure she craves. "Aaah-aah..." she moans quietly, wanting to scream her head off, but mindful of Logan's warning about Keith. She leans in to kiss Logan, murmuring, "If I don't kiss you, I'm going to start screaming. Oh god, Logan, I'm coming..." she exhales, pressing her mouth to his to silence her ecstasy, as he pumps his fingers furiously, riding it out with her.

----------

In the next room, Keith sits bolt upright. What the hell was that? Thinking it's an intruder, he quickly gets out of bed, then hears panting and a quiet moan, and realizes what's going on next door. He sits back down on the bed, considering. There was a time when he would have killed Logan Echolls for even thinking about having sex with his daughter. In fact, Keith is sure that he'll never be entirely comfortable about his daughter having sex with any man. But he's seen the way they have been looking at each other the last few days, and he knows what Veronica was really asking him this evening. He's not entirely happy with this latest development, but Keith realizes that his greatest wish is for his daughter to be happy. He thinks, if she can just let him love her, maybe she CAN be happy. Shocked a little at his own complacency, he lays back down, pulling a pillow over his head to block out the sounds from next door. There's a limit to what a father can take.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Love Actually  
**LoVe, actually.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN, PART TWO: "LOVE ACTUALLY"

Still breathless from her orgasm, Veronica whispers in Logan's ear, "Now I get to be in charge."

He laughs and says, "So what are you going to do to me?"

"You'll see." She sits up. Moving down to Logan's waist, she whispers, "Thank goodness for these oversized boxers, I'd hate to have to cut them off you." She removes the T-shirt Logan's been sleeping in, motioning that he should raise his arms to assist her. "Ah, that's better. That's the six-pack abdomen I've been missing." She grins up at him and begins to plant feathery kisses on Logan's chest, stopping at his nipples. She sucks on his right nipple, flicking it with her tongue until he moans in appreciation. She moves it to his other nipple and repeats her ministrations. She nips it gently with her teeth and sucks it to soothe it again. She glances up and sees that his eyes are closed. She kisses her way down to Logan's boxers, following a well-remembered trail of soft hair leading from his navel. She looks up again, and sees that she has captured his attention: his eyes are open and completely focused on her. With her teeth, she unbuttons the opening in Logan's boxers, causing him to groan appreciatively. Then, using her tongue, she coaxes Logan's stiff cock through the opening. Veronica gently licks his entire length, delicately teasing him.

Just when Logan thinks he can't take it anymore, she takes him in her mouth. "Ohhh..." he moans. He reaches down to move her hair so he can see her face, sucking gently. She begins to gently fist his length, and the intensity of the feeling and his emotions are overwhelming for Logan. He pants, "Ahh...ahhh...Veronica..."

Veronica suddenly stops and comes up to kiss him, saying, "I'll be right back...condom." She goes to the dresser and rummages for a minute, then returns to kiss him again, explaining, "My secret stash." She rips open the packet with her teeth.

Logan grins at her look of concentration as she makes sure to place the condom correctly. Veronica notices his grin and says, mock-frowning, "Don't make me hurt you, loverboy." The condom in place, Veronica kisses Logan again and whispers in his ear, "Let me do all the work."

He replies insolently, "You're the boss, Veronica. For now."

To punish him, she bites his ear lobe; then she playfully sticks her tongue in his ear, which she knows both arouses and tickles him.

Flinching, Logan threatens, "As soon as this cast comes off, you are going to get it."

"Promises, promises," she retorts. She grabs a pillow to place under her left knee to help keep her weight off Logan's injured right side, and she starts to straddle him.

"Wait," he whispers intensely, "help me sit up a little more, so I can reach you." She helps him adjust the pillows and when he's comfortable again, she straddles him. Carefully positioning him at her entrance, she locks eyes with him, then gently slides down onto him. He hisses, feeling her tightness around him.

Immediately stopping, Veronica says worriedly, "Am I hurting you?"

"You can hurt me like this all night long, Veronica," he gasps appreciatively. He reaches for her, fondling her breast, and she moans in response, resuming her gentle up and down motion. The slow pace is only intensifying their passion; neither want this moment to pass quickly, and they are relishing the sensations they are feeling.

"God, Veronica, you are so beautiful," he says, reaching up to tuck an errant lock of hair behind her ear. "I've missed you so much."

She leans in to kiss him, beginning to quicken her pace, and then pulls back to look him in the face, saying, "I love you, Logan, I love you...Logan, oh god, Logan..." He reaches down to stroke her clit furiously, and she kisses him passionately as she loses control.

Ignoring the ache in his leg, he surges into her, climaxing with a groan. He moans incoherently, "Love you, I love you, god, Veronica."

They lay together, breathing heavily, completely spent by the emotions of their coupling. Finally, Veronica, still mindful of Logan's injuries, carefully extricates herself and disposes of the condom. She lays down on Logan's uninjured side and pulls up the covers, thinking, _I don't even care if Dad finds us like this, I want to sleep with my body against Logan's tonight.  
_


	13. Chapters 48 to 50 & Epilogue

Spoilers: All of VM is spoiled, through the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Veronica Mars is owned by Rob Thomas, et al. No celebrity endorsement is implied by the use of product placements. Any real person's name is used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this actor had this gig?"

Rating: Soft R, for violence, drugs, and cussing; some light sex (use your imagination).

Characters: Ensemble. LoVe. Mac/Dick. Everyone you love or love to hate who's not dead (and even the dead come back in flashbacks).

Summary: Future Fic. Veronica Mars' junior year at Hearst College; there are two new murders to occupy her time (when does she go to class?). Keith lost the election. Logan is trying to reinvent himself, but can't seem to get away from Veronica. Mac, Wallace, and Weevil are still VM's BF's. Old enemies are holding a grudge, and Veronica is in serious trouble.

Feedback, including concrit, is greatly appreciated.

Not beta-ed. All errors are my own. I tried to tie up a few of Rob Thomas' loose ends (a Sisyphean task, let me tell you.)

**HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS, IT'S THE BIG FINISH...**

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Confessions of a Dangerous Mind  
**The killer reveals themself.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Mike Fields: Michael  
Trucco. Backup: Lefty.  
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: "CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND"

Veronica awakens early Sunday morning, feeling rested and relaxed despite the late hour when they finally fell asleep. Logan is still deeply asleep next to her, a small smile on his face. Veronica thinks, _Thank goodness for nightmares,_ and smiles to herself.

_I don't want to screw this up, _she thinks. She remembers in their relationship that Logan had always been the romantic one, bringing her surprise gifts of flowers or sentimental mementos. Veronica ransacks her brain trying to think of a romantic gesture to show Logan how she is feeling. Finally, her growling stomach reminds her of breakfast, which reminds her of a small cafe down the PCH from Neptune that Logan always loved for its fresh-baked bagels. She remembers him surprising her with bagels in bed one early morning, and she thinks he'll appreciate the symmetry if she reciprocates the gesture. _It's not far, maybe twenty minutes away, I can be back in less than an hour._ She scribbles a note to Logan, _Be right back with breakfast. I love you, V._ She thinks to herself, _How hard was that to say, after all the drama we went through over the words?_

She quickly dresses, grabs her purse and quietly leaves the apartment, hoping to get back before the two men wake up. As she drives down the Pacific Coast Highway, she notices that the brakes seem a little funny and she makes a mental note to bring the car to Eli's uncle as soon as possible.

---------

Keith wakes up and heads to the kitchen to make coffee. He notices that Backup is sleeping on the couch where Veronica should be and wonders how he should deal with the situation of last night's sleeping arrangements. He accidentally shuts a cabinet door a little harder than he intends, and it bangs loudly.

"Yo, Keith?" Logan calls out. "Uh, can you give me a hand?"

"Everyone's...uh, okay in there?" Keith asks, going to Veronica's bedroom door.

"Yeah, Veronica went to get breakfast," Logan says. "She left a note."

_Awkward scene averted,_ Keith thinks. He helps Logan get dressed and out to the living room, by which time the coffee is ready. "Coffee?" Keith asks.

"Definitely," Logan replies.

Keith hands him a cup, then goes to the door to get the Sunday newspaper. He glances at the headline, and does a double-take. _'Neptune Sheriff and Local Crime Boss Arrested in Racketeering Scandal'._ He quickly skims the story, which says that the US Attorneys' office, acting on an anonymous tip, had arrested Vinnie Van Lowe and Liam Fitzpatrick for a racketeering scam which targeted Neptune's Hispanic businesses for payoffs. The two men were arrested late Saturday night after they were videotaped making an exchange and bragging about their criminal endeavors.

"What is it?" Logan asks.

Keith hands him the paper, saying, "You'll never believe it," and gets a cup of coffee for himself.

Logan reads the story and looks at Keith in astonishment. "Anonymous tip, my ass," he says.

Keith chuckles. "I still have a few friends in law enforcement, even if none of them are here in Neptune. Did you see, they arrested Father Patrick as a co-conspirator as well?"

"What does this mean for Veronica's case?" Logan wonders.

"Well, Vinnie's actions as sheriff will be subject to more scrutiny. That can only help Veronica."

"Keith...I had an idea last night. I had trouble falling asleep last night and I started reading your book."

Keith wisely refrains from commenting about Logan's lack of sleep the night before.

Logan continues, "The hero, well I guess he's a hero, the lead character has numerous affairs with women in the book."

Keith chuckles, "Yeah, that was really fun to write."

"What if someone thinks that character is you? The lead character is despicable, he treats women like Kleenex, uses them and throws them out," Logan explains.

"Logan, I don't know if you noticed, but my love life is not exactly a revolving door."

"No, I know. But you have had girlfriends, and maybe one of them thinks you're mocking her," Logan persists. "I remember, something was going on with you and a woman; it was during a period when Veronica and I were having problems, and I remember she was mad at both of us for letting her down."

"Logan, it's ridiculous. The only women I've been with since Lianne are Ms. James, Mrs. Fennel, and...Harmony?" As Keith says her name, he recalls her anger and disappointment when he called off their affair. He continues, "I don't think so, Logan, that was over almost before it began."

The front door opens, and Keith and Logan turn toward the door, expecting Veronica to come in. Logan says, smiling, "Wait 'til Veronica hears about Vinnie being arrested." But they are shocked to see Harmony Chase, wielding a very large gun.

"The big detective, outsmarted by a teenager," she sneers, pointing the gun at them. "Hello, Keith." Backup sits bolt upright on the couch, growling at her.

----------

Veronica goes a little overboard, buying a dozen bagels and two different kinds of vegetable cream cheese that she remembers Logan liking. She notices a newspaper and gasps as she quickly reads the lead story. She adds the paper to her purchases and returns to her car, wanting to return to the apartment to let Keith and Logan know what has happened.

She is about to start the car when her iPhone rings. Veronica, sure that it's her Dad or Logan trying to tell her about the story, grabs it. "Hello? Dad?"

"No, Veronica, it's Mike."

She pulls the phone away to look at the caller id, which reads 'Fields, M.'.

"Veronica, are you there? I finally found out about Wiedman's dishonorable discharge. I think it's important."

"What did you learn?" she asks anxiously.

"In 1988, Weidman was stationed in Beirut as a member of the Special Forces. Apparently he had an affair with a young man, a lieutenant in the Army. The affair was inadvertently discovered by the lieutenant's commanding officer. You have to remember, this was before 'don't ask, don't tell'; being homosexual in the armed forces was a big deal. Unfortunately, the lieutenant's father was a five-star general, and when the general found out what had been going on, he made it his personal mission to drum Wiedman out of the military for 'turning' his son gay. I guess it was the lieutenant's first homosexual experience. I think Wiedman was lucky he didn't get court-martialed on some trumped-up charge. The lieutenant was only busted down to junior grade because of his father's connections. But Veronica, that's not all I found out: the former lieutenant was living in Neptune up until a short time ago, working for a government contractor."

"Was living?" she echoes.

"Yes, Marvin Chase was killed in a car accident on October 4," Mike explains.

"Marvin CHASE? October 4?" she says, aghast. _The day Wiedman was killed._

"I take it you know him."

"My dad, uh, knows his wife...My dad had an affair with his wife," she admits.

"Sounds like motive to me," Mike says.

"I think so. I gotta call my dad," she replies.

"Let me know if I can help any other way, Veronica," he says, terminating the call.

She immediately hits speed-dial "2" for her dad's cellphone but is surprised when he doesn't pick up and it goes to voicemail. "Hey, Dad, maybe you forgot to turn your ringer on. Call me."

She hangs up and tries the apartment. To her surprise, she hears a message, "The phone number you have reached is out of service." She hangs up, and before she can think what that could mean, the phone rings again. "Hello?"

"It's Mac. Veronica, I finally got into the client database." Mac sounds completely exhausted, but triumphant.

"Mac, that's great. Can you check a name for me? Mike just called, he got some information about Wiedman. Look for the name 'Marvin Chase'," Veronica instructs.

After a second, Mac responds, "Yep, he's on here. He was there for thirty days, towards the end of Lianne's stay."

"You're the best, Mac. I'll call you later, get some sleep," Veronica says, excited.

She starts up the car, more anxious than ever to get back to the Sunset Cliffs apartment. She guns the accelerator and goes around the first curve in the road a little too fast. She applies the brakes and discovers to her horror that they're not working.

----------

Backup growls furiously at Harmony and crouches, preparing to launch himself at her.

Harmony says, "Control your dog, or he dies first."

"Backup, stay!! Guard," Keith calls out, keeping both eyes trained on Harmony.

Logan says furiously, "I'm twenty, not a teenager, you psycho bitch."

Keith turns a little, and whispers, "Quiet, Logan." Carefully, holding his hands up to placate Harmony, he says to her, "Harmony, Backup's leash is right behind you on the hook near the door. If you throw it to me, I'll tie him up. We don't want anything to happen here. I'm sure we can work this out."

Looking around wild-eyed, she spies the dog leash and throws it to Keith, who clips it to Backup's collar and ties him to the leg of the couch.

"'If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over,'" Harmony says, incomprehensibly. "What has happened to you is a result of your evil deeds and your great guilt, and yet God has punished you less than your sins have deserved." She continues to mutter under her breath.

Keith's cell phone vibrates repeatedly on the counter, finally stopping as the call goes to voicemail.

Keith realizes that Harmony is quoting from the Bible, or possibly misquoting. He thinks, _what the hell happened to her? _ He realizes that she looks quite different. Her hair is streaked with gray, her eyes are wild, and her jaw is tight with barely controlled anger. He tries, "Harmony, tell me what's going on. I'd like to help you."

Harmony stops muttering, and shouts, "What's going on?" She paces, waving the gun emphatically. "What's going on, is you RUINED MY LIFE. I hired you, to help me get out of my marriage. Instead, you SLEPT with me, and DUMPED me, then sent pictures of me and you to my darling husband."

"Pictures?" Keith asks, horrified.

_FLASHBACK: Vinnie Van Lowe throws an envelope at Keith. Keith opens it, discovering pictures of him and Harmony at the Neptune Grand. Vinnie laughs, saying, "Now, this is not a value judgment, Keith, 'cause, believe me...I have been there. I mean, there was this one married lady, smokin' hot blonde. Cried all day and ashed Pall Malls all over my couch, but, man, could she lay the lumber. Now, this one you got, though, I mean, a lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets."_

_Keith asks, "What do you want?"_

_Vinnie replies, "Well, first...You could acknowledge the artistry here. I mean, you remember how dark it was. Open aperture, full zoom from across the street. Steadiest hands in the biz."_

_"Why are you here, Vinnie? Money?...How much?"_

_Vinnie ponders, and answers, "Well, Mr. Chase is paying me two grand to prove that his wife is having an affair. So, I figure you double that, and we can all walk away winners, except for...Mr. Chase, of course."_

"Harmony, your husband had photos of you and me?" Keith asks, dreading her answer.

"Of course he did, you sent them to him. He said a private detective contacted him and offered to provide pictures of me cheating," Harmony says bitterly. "Was it difficult for you to pretend that you cared for me? I hope I wasn't too bad of a lay for you. If I had known you were taking pictures, I would have tried to smile more."

"Harmony, that's not what happened. Another private detective, Vinnie Van Lowe, our current sheriff, is the one who took the pictures. He came to me, threatening to send them to your husband. I paid him four thousand dollars not to send them. And...then I broke it off with you. I didn't want to wreck your marriage," Keith explains. "Harmony, if he sent the photos to your husband anyways...it's a very typical thing for him to him, to try to get both sides to pay him off. I tried to prevent it, the only way I knew how, by giving him the money that he asked for."

"I'm supposed to believe that, after what you wrote? Bastard," Harmony spits.

Keith realizes that in his novel, the private investigator beds a lonely client, then sends photos of their assignations to the husband. The fictional PI laughs about it in a bar with his hired muscle, and calls it the 'pathetic wife ploy'. "Harmony, I truly cared about you; I would have done anything to prevent your husband seeing those photos."

"I don't believe you," Harmony says coldly. "You didn't even bother to investigate my husband. When I found out he was having an affair with Clarence Wiedman..."

Keith and Logan share a shocked glance.

"...I knew that you didn't even try to get evidence he was cheating on me," she concludes. "It was all a big joke to you."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**In the Line of Fire  
**Another car bites the dust; Harmony  
explains herself.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Backup: Lefty.  
Special Guest Star: Laura San Giacomo.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••_  
_  
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: "IN THE LINE OF FIRE"

VERONICA

I pump the brakes in disbelief. Why did I decide to get breakfast this morning, this is not being careful, what good is romance if I'm dead...I try the parking brake, which does nothing, and I let out a little scream of frustration.

I shake my head. Think, Veronica. Stay calm. You've trained for these situations at the FBI.

The car fishtails around a curve in the Pacific Coast Highway too fast and my purse flies to the other side of the car. Damn, my phone is in there. I try to reach for my purse again but it's too far away, and when I lean down to try to retrieve the phone I almost go off the road. I straighten up and try to think. The road goes slightly uphill for a short distance and I have time to breathe for a second as the Maxima slows down enough that I can control it. I grimly check the tension on my seat belt, recalling the accident with Aaron Echolls in my LeBaron.

Remembering what my Dad taught me on a road trip to the Sierra Nevada, I throw the car into low gear and I am rewarded by the high whining sound of the engine straining against momentum and gravity. But the car does slow down a little. I begin to scan the landscape, trying to remember just what is along this stretch of highway.

----------

"Wait a second, your husband was having an affair with Wiedman?" Keith says incredulously. "Harmony, I swear I investigated him thoroughly. He must have been incredibly discreet."

"So you're telling me that you're just incompetent. No. I don't believe it. 'You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering...May the Lord judge between you and me.'"

"How did you get a set of keys?" Logan asks. Keith turns to him and shakes his head, trying to silence him.

"I made a copy of Keith's keys when we were seeing each other. I was going to SURPRISE him by handcuffing myself to his bed one night when little Ve-ro-ni-ca wasn't around," Harmony says sarcastically. "Do you still have those handcuffs, Keith?"

Keith doesn't respond, and Harmony shouts, "DO YOU STILL HAVE THE HANDCUFFS?"

"Yes," he replies.

"All right, we're going to get them, and you're going to put them on." She walks over to Keith and places the gun to his forehead. She says to Logan, "Okay, asshole, if you try anything, Keith's going to have a very big hole in his head." To Keith, she says, "You were right about one thing. This guy is a jackass. He was FORNICATING with your daughter last night."

Logan turns red, realizing Harmony was spying on them. He shuts his eyes, thinking, _At least I told Veronica I loved her one more time. Please don't come home, Veronica. Stay away...stay away..._

Harmony walks Keith to the bedroom, where he retrieves the handcuffs from the nightstand beside the bed. They return to the living room. Harmony motions that Keith should sit on the couch, near Logan. "Put them on." After Keith puts on the handcuffs, she walks over and checks that they are secure. "Tighter, you fucking son of a bitch." Keith clicks the handcuffs a little tighter, and Harmony appears satisfied.

----------

VERONICA

The car hurtles down the highway, the engine screaming in protest against the low gear. The beauty of the nearby Pacific Ocean is wasted on me; right now I'd prefer a flat expanse of desert. I don't come this way very often, it's not on the way to San Diego or Los Angeles, and I'm not remembering what's along here. A sign flashes by reading, 'Simi Valley Road, Next Left', and I flash back to driving along this road with Duncan. What were we doing that day?

_FLASHBACK: Veronica and Duncan are on a fourteen-foot Hunter 140 sailboat. Duncan instructs her as to how to raise the jib while he controls the tiller. He explains tacking against the wind and she begs for a chance to steer. When she gets her chance, Veronica pulls the tiller the wrong way, almost capsizing the boat when the wind catches the sail in an accidental jibe and they fly around the wrong way uncontrollably. Duncan relieves her of skipper duty, telling her that steering will be the next lesson unless she wants to get wet._

The Corinthian Yacht Club is just ahead; I went sailing there a few times with Duncan. One time during the summer, little kids were launching small boats that Duncan called 'Optis' off a sandy beach. I remember Duncan saying that they only used that beach in the summer because the water was too cold in the winter for small boat sailing. More importantly, I remember a boat ramp to the beach, blocked by a chain-link gate, that leads to a dirt road that connects to the highway.

----------

"Harmony, why didn't you just leave your husband? I kept hoping...I kept hoping that I would hear from you, that you had left, and we could try again," Keith says.

"'And here you are, a brood of sinners...making the Lord even more angry,'" she replies.

"Harmony," Keith says urgently, trying to penetrate her ravings. "Harmony, what did he do to you?"

"We signed a pre-nup when we got married. If I had left, he would have used the photos to deny me custody of my daughter, not to mention no alimony. Marvin punished me for our affair by taking away all my bank accounts, my credit cards, all my assets. I had to ask permission to go to the grocery store. He said if I didn't do as he said, I would never see my daughter again. He beat me, you know," she says, almost as an afterthought. "He was really good at it, no one ever knew. He never left a mark. You never noticed, the whole time we went out. He did let me go to church. That was good of him..."

"Harmony, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me he was beating you? Why didn't you call me for help? I would have found a way..." Keith says, trying to sound sympathetic.

"Fuck you! Fuck you!" she spits out, pacing furiously. "I don't believe you. How could you write that shit and expect me to believe you ever cared about me? 'If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!' AND YOUR EX-WIFE WAS BLACKMAILING MY HUSBAND. Did you find out about Marvin and tell her about it, laughing at me? Icing on the cake, to have your ex blackmail your girlfriend's husband."

"No, Harmony, I would never..." Keith starts.

"I don't believe you. You were working both ends of it. You sold pictures of me to Marvin, then you had your wife blackmail him, and you WROTE A FUCKING BOOK ABOUT IT!!!...There's only one thing to do. You and Veronica must die. 'All the sinners among my people will die by the sword, all those who say, 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.''" Waving the gun at Logan, she says, "And the jackass gets to die too. Defending his bitch girlfriend on TV, the cocksucker," she raves.

"Harmony, I swear to you, I had no contact with Lianne. She did this on her own," Keith tries, desperate to make contact with what little is left of Harmony's sanity. "And Veronica had nothing to do with this."

"It's all irrelevant, she's dead by now," Harmony states matter-of-factly.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Logan shouts.

----------

VERONICA

I see a sign on my right, approaching fast, and I think it's the turnoff for the Corinthian Yacht Club boat ramp. Praying to whatever gods are listening, I veer widely to the left and then turn right, trying to make the turn as shallow as possible. The tires scream in protest nonetheless as I leave the paved highway and turn onto the rough dirt road. A sign flashes by, 'Corinthian Yacht Club, Boat Ramp #3, 10mph speed limit'. I hit a huge pot hole and the Maxima lurches upward; I smack my head against the roof as the car slams downward. The road suddenly veers right, then left. I try to correct my steering as best I can as I bump along the rocky road.

Suddenly, I see the chain-link fence, coming up in front of me, faster than I had hoped for. I try to straighten the car to hit the gate dead-center, and with twenty feet to go I throw the transmission into reverse and cover my face with my forearms._ I hope you were right about the airbags, Weevil._ The engine transmission locks up, slowing the car, and I hit the fence, the gates flying open with a sharp 'ping'. The airbags deploy and I feel a sharp pain in my face as I am thrown forward, and then back against the seat.

The car clatters down the wooden boat ramp and onto a sandy beach. Racks of sailboats stored for the off-season line the boat ramp; the car catches one boat's bow and skids to the left where it hits another. With a 'whomp', the car reaches the end of the boat ramp; the front tires, and then the rear, hit the deep sand. Twenty feet later, the engine smoking, the Maxima finally shudders to a stop.

----------

Keith is frantic about Veronica, but tries to focus on the situation at hand, praying that Harmony is wrong, and somehow he'll be able to save his beloved daughter.

Looking at Logan, he says quietly, "Logan, try to keep calm. Let me handle this, we need to find out what's going on." He notes that Logan's left hand has curled into a tight, vicious fist. Keith looks back at Harmony. "Harmony, please tell me everything. How did you find out that Marvin was having an affair?"

"I came home the day after Lianne was killed. My husband and that faggot Wiedman were arguing about it. Marvin was furious; he said that by killing Lianne, Clarence had jeopardized everything. You remember that Marvin works for a government contractor and has a high security clearance. If anyone ever found out about his affair with Wiedman..."

"He might lose his clearance, and his job," Keith finishes for her.

"I heard Marvin say that they should have just kept paying Lianne. Wiedman argued with him, saying there wasn't any money left since he had been fired by the Kanes. The Kanes refused to give him a good reference, and Wiedman hadn't been able to find a new position. Wiedman was trying to convince Marvin to cash in what was left of our money and to run away together. Marvin refused," Harmony says, pacing in wild circles, gesturing with the gun. "Then I listened to them, having disgusting, immoral sex. They kept saying how much they loved each other. I ran out of the house and threw up."

"That's when I decided to kill them and frame your daughter."

_Kill THEM?_ Keith thinks, horrified. _Harmony has killed two people?_

"I wanted you to suffer, the way I've been suffering; to see your daughter ROTTING in prison."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**Blown Away  
**The forces of good and evil collide.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Backup: Lefty.  
Justin: Bobby Edner. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
Special Guest Star: Laura San Giacomo.  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER FIFTY: "BLOWN AWAY"

"Lady, are you okay? Hey, lady?"

Veronica tries to clear her head by shaking it. _Bad idea, _she thinks, noting the throbbing pain in her forehead. The pounding continues on the driver's side window. She looks to her left and sees a teenaged boy yelling. Veronica coughs a little, trying to clear the gas from the airbag canisters from her lungs. "Hold on," she says. She tries to open the car door, but it refuses to budge. "Pull!" she yells. Between the two of them, they manage to open the door. She stumbles out, coughing, and sits on the sand.

"Hey, Veronica, is that you?" the boy says.

She looks up at him quizzically. "Justin? Justin Smith." _Justin whose dad is his mom is his dad. I really have to get out of Neptune one of these days, before every resident is a client.  
_  
"Veronica, what happened? I was walking my dog on the beach" he motions to a hyperactive Jack Russell terrier jumping up and down "and we saw a car come crashing through the gate onto the boat ramp. Are you all right? You have a cut on your forehead."

Veronica swipes at her forehead and examines the back of her hand, noting the blood. "I'm all right. Someone sabotaged my car. I was lucky to be able to stop it without getting seriously injured." She closes her eyes and groans a little. "My head is killing me."

"You're probably in shock, we better call 911. Are you working a case?" Justin says excitedly.

"Just my own," Veronica says ruefully. "Can you get my purse out of the car?"

Justin pulls open the car door, which creaks in protest. He finds the purse on the floor of the passenger side and brings it to Veronica.

She dials her dad's cell again, then Logan's. Both calls are unanswered. Veronica turns to Justin and says, "You have to drive me home. I'll call the cops while you're driving. Where's your car?"

"Veronica, you should go to the emergency room and get that cut looked at," Justin protests.

"No, there's no time. My dad and Logan Echolls are in danger; something's wrong, they're not answering their phones. And I know who set me up. They just tried to kill me, and I think they're going to try to kill Dad next."

Justin looks pale, but finally nods. "Okay, my car's in the beach lot up there." He points.

"Hurry, Justin, we've got to hurry," Veronica says, dragging Justin by the arm. As they half-walk, half-run to the car, Veronica grimly checks that her Glock and taser are still in her purse.

----------

Keith's cellphone vibrates again on the kitchen counter. After a few seconds, it goes silent.

"I must say, you didn't seem to be very upset by my little love notes," Harmony says, almost flirtatiously.

"You're wrong, I was very upset, Harmony," Keith replies. He hears a noise, and realizes it's Logan's cellphone. He hears a song Veronica used to love, _'The Edge of the Ocean'._ He glances at Logan, who nods almost imperceptibly. Keith thinks, _it's Veronica, she called my phone, and she just called Logan's phone. She's all right._ Keith nods back, hoping Logan will follow his lead.

"Harmony, please don't do this. Think about your daughter. We can help you cover up Wiedman's murder. No one suspects you now, but if you hurt us, you'll go to prison," Keith says, hoping he sounds reasonable.

"My daughter? MY DAUGHTER? That's classic," Harmony laughs, bitterly.

Keith says, "What are you talking about? Harmony, I know you love your daughter, and..."

"I thought I was being so smart. I listened to you ramble on, about all your cases, as sheriff, and as the kick-ass private eye. I was paying attention, you know, I was hanging on every word out of your lying mouth. You told me about forensic evidence, how it convicted that serial murderer that you caught. So I used my keys and got your daughter's hair from her brush and fibers from one of Veronica's sweatshirts. I found the bloody maxi-pads in the trash, and I remembered you telling me that DNA evidence was so sophisticated now that they could identify someone from the smallest particle of blood. I couldn't believe my luck. Until, of course, spoiled rich boy's lawyers determined that it was menstrual blood at the scene."

----------

Veronica has tried to call the Neptune Sheriff's Department three times. Each time, she gets a message that 'all circuits are busy, please try your call later'. _What the hell?_ She realizes that there must be a media circus at the department with Vinnie's arrest. She scrolls through her phone book and locates Leo's personal number.

"What is it, Veronica? It's kind of insane here right now," Leo barks at her.

"Leo, the murderer, it's...it's Harmony Chase. She had an affair with my dad two years ago and her husband was sleeping with Clarence Wiedman. Marvin Chase was at Wonderland when my mom was there," Veronica explains quickly.

"What?" Leo replies.

"Leo, somebody tried to sabotage my car and I can't get through to my dad. I think...I think Harmony's at the apartment with him. Leo, Logan's there too...I'm afraid..." Veronica says, panicky. "Leo, please go there right away. I'm on my way too."

Justin gapes at Veronica's words and inadvertently slows the car. Veronica points at the road, urging him on.

"Veronica, I'm leaving right now. Don't do anything until I get there. Promise me," Leo says.

"I promise," she says.

----------

Keith asks, "How did you manage to get the drop on Clarence Wiedman? He's ex-Special Forces, I can't imagine it would be easy to sneak up on him." Keith has been wondering about this from the start, and his curiosity has gotten the better of him.

"I tapped my husband's cellphone, just like you showed me," Harmony sneers.

Keith remembers trying to impress Harmony one day at the office by showing her how easy it was to plant a bug in a cellphone.

Harmony continues. "Wiedman kept calling, trying to convince Marvin to run away with him. Wiedman had gone into hiding; he suspected that he had been seen abducting Lianne before he shot her, and he had decided that he had no choice but to leave the country. Finally, Marvin agreed to run away with him, and they arranged to meet at a hotel."

"So you..." Keith prods, hoping to keep Harmony talking.

"I kept Marvin's appointment for him. Wiedman, the fool, opened the door to me without checking."

"But what happened to Marvin?"

"Oh, but that's the best part. You see, my idiot husband, who would never have won the daddy of the year award, decided he wanted to see his daughter one last time. Marvin picked her up from a friend's house."

"I don't understand," Keith says.

"Well, I had put a tiny hole in the brake line of Marvin's car so he wouldn't make it to his appointment with Clarence. If he had an accident, that would be perfect; if not," she shrugs, "he would have had to be killed another way."

"So your daughter was in the car with Marvin..."

"When he ran into a tractor trailer. I wonder what will happen when Veronica's car runs out of brake fluid? I guess that's my only regret, that I won't get to know how much she suffered before she died. Maybe she'll tell me about it in hell. Yeah, I don't think Veronica's gonna make it back here. She was headed for the PCH when she left here this morning."

"YOU FUCKING PSYCHO WHORE!" Logan screams, in a rage.

----------

Justin and Veronica pull into the parking lot at the Sunset Cliffs. Justin asks, "What happens now?"

Veronica answers, "Deputy D'Amato is on his way, we're supposed to wait..."

One minute goes by. Two minutes go by.

Veronica makes up her mind and gets out of the car. "Tell the deputy that I'm just checking on the situation. It's that apartment." She points.

Justin protests, "Veronica, don't. He'll be here."

Veronica takes her Glock out of her purse, leaving the purse on the car seat.

"Holy crap, is that a gun?" Justin cries out.

"Justin, I want you to pay attention. I may need a diversion. If I put up one finger like this" she demonstrates "I want you to start honking the car. If anyone comes out of my apartment, yell up to them, 'have you seen Mary Ann' or something. If I put up two fingers, I want you to wait one minute, then call speed-dial two on my cellphone. That'll ring my dad's cellphone."

"Veronica, this is too dangerous. You're gonna get killed."

Veronica shakes her head impatiently at him, and shuts the car door quietly. She skirts the edges of the parking lot and approaches the apartment door. She crouches and sits on her heels under the living room window to see if she can hear anything. She hears low voices through the closed window and is considering poking her head above the window sill to see if she can see anything when she suddenly hears Logan screaming, "YOU FUCKING PSYCHO WHORE!"

Her heart pounding furiously, Veronica carefully looks above the window sill. She sees her dad on the couch, _holy shit, are his hands handcuffed?_, Logan in the wheelchair, Backup tied by his leash. Harmony Chase is pacing around the room, gesticulating with the gun. Veronica strains to hear what is being said, but can't make out any words. She scans the parking lot. _Still no sign of the cavalry._ She makes up her mind.

Veronica creeps to her bedroom window and tries it to see if it's locked. _Damn._ The next window is the bathroom window. The small frosted glass window, only eighteen by twelve inches, is set high in the wall, about six feet up. Veronica sees that the window is ajar. It opens from the bottom and will angle outward when fully open. She stands on tiptoe and snakes her hand inside the window, determining that she will be able to operate the crank to open it completely. She puts the Glock in her waistband and quietly goes next door, where her neighbor has four plastic resin chairs. Concentrating on being silent, Veronica stacks the four chairs carefully, so that the seat of the top one is about forty inches off the ground. She maneuvers the stack to the bathroom window, and carefully climbs onto the top seat.

Veronica reaches into the bathroom window, and turns the crank on the window carefully, opening the window to its full extension. She remembers that there are some shampoo and bath bubble bottles arranged on the window sill, and she carefully removes each one, placing them on the ground next to the stack of chairs. She turns toward Justin's car and holds up two fingers, waiting until she sees him nod in agreement. Veronica hoists herself up, wriggling into the tiny window, counting off the seconds with 'one one thousand, two one thousand'.

---------

Upset at Logan's screaming, Backup begins to growl again, and Keith shushes him, saying "Silent!" Backup whines one more time and quiets.

Keith is stunned, and very worried. Harmony truly has nothing to lose, and seems hell-bent on killing everyone she believes has wronged her.

He says quietly, "Logan has done nothing to you. I see that you are very angry with me, but I want you to let Logan go. Please don't hurt him."

Logan, shocked, looks at Keith.

Keith continues, "Harmony, there are so many things I wish I had done differently. You are such a beautiful woman and you don't deserve the terrible life you had. You deserved to be loved and cherished, and I should have been the one to do that. Please, let Logan live. Don't you know that he's the one who founded the new battered women's shelter in Neptune? He wanted to help women like you, whose husbands beat them and who feel that they have nowhere to turn."

Just then, Keith's cellphone vibrates on the kitchen counter.

----------

Veronica counts 'sixty one thousand' and drops to the bathtub, hoping that Justin did his job. She tries to fall as quietly as possible, but knows that the thump is audible. She draws her gun, and stands completely still for thirty seconds expecting Harmony to come blasting through the bathroom door.

Instead, she hears Harmony ranting, "Battered women's shelter? What a fucking crock. It's just another tax dodge for a boy with more money than sense. 'Smite the loins of those who rise up against him; strike his foes till they rise no more.' Fucking immoral fornicator. Like father, like son."

Veronica realizes that Harmony has gone completely over the edge, and there will be no negotiating. She steps out of the bathtub, being careful to move the shower curtain aside noiselessly, and walks to the door. She carefully pictures the scene outside. Harmony will be directly in front of her, waving her gun around, and her dad and Logan will be slightly to her right. In order to avoid accidentally hitting them, she would need to move right immediately after leaving the bathroom so that she will be between Harmony and her dad and Logan. But if Veronica misses, Harmony could accidentally shoot them in response. _I can't miss,_ she thinks desperately. _I'll shoot her in the leg, she'll fall, and I'll be able to get her gun._

Veronica turns the doorknob silently, disengaging the latch. She waits, hoping Harmony will begin to speak again and be distracted. When she hears Harmony say, "'O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get my revenge'", Veronica opens the door, as quietly as possible, and prepares to drop Harmony with a shot to her leg. She breathes out, focusing her attention.

Backup sees Veronica and whines, standing to attention with his eyes focused on his mistress. Harmony whirls and sees Veronica.

In slow motion, Veronica sees Harmony lifting her gun; she raises the Glock from Harmony's leg where she had been aiming. Veronica squeezes the trigger four times and puts four bullets in the middle of Harmony's chest. Harmony drops to the floor and Veronica sinks to her knees. Keith jumps up from the couch and runs to Harmony; he kicks her weapon to the side, then checks her neck for a pulse.

There is pounding on the door. "Sheriff's Department! Put your weapons down! Come out with your hands up!" Leo calls out.

"Leo!" Keith shouts. "I'm coming out! Veronica is in here, she's armed." To Veronica, he says, "Put the gun down now, Veronica."

Veronica just looks up at him and says, "Daddy? I didn't want to shoot her."

Keith goes to the door and, with his manacled hands, lets Leo in. The deputy quickly assesses the situation and holsters his gun. Leo walks over to Veronica and firmly takes the gun out of her hands. He checks Harmony's neck for a pulse and shakes his head. Leo reaches for his radio, and grimly calls for an ambulance, the coroner, a forensic team and the district attorney.

Logan wheels himself over to Veronica. Pointing, he says to Leo, "Harmony's gun is over there." To Veronica, he says, "Veronica, I knew you'd come. Veronica, it's all right, it's over." He eases himself out of the wheelchair onto the floor next to Veronica, and folds her into his arms, rocking her gently.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••  
VERONICA MARS  
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA  
**The Good Mother  
**What happened next.  
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.  
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Leo: Max Greenfield.  
Mike Fields: Michael Trucco. Carrie: Amber  
Heard. Vinnie Van Lowe: Ken Marino. Jake  
Kane: Kyle Secor. Celeste Kane: Lisa Thornhill.  
Special appearances by...??  
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

EPILOGUE: "THE GOOD MOTHER"

One week later...

Leo D'Amato rings the doorbell at the Kane mansion in Pemberton Estates. Jake Kane answers the door personally, saying, "Deputy D'Amato. I guess congratulations are in order. It looks like you'll be winning the election tomorrow."

"Well, with Vinnie Van Lowe indicted for racketeering, I'm running unopposed. Unless there's a significant write-in vote..." Leo shrugs.

"What can I do for you? Now that Clarence Wiedman's murder has been solved, I wasn't expecting to hear from you again." Jake Kane ushers Leo into the living room, where Celeste is already seated.

Leo takes out a package and hands it to Jake. "This is evidence that Stewart Manning was abusing his daughter Grace. He was being blackmailed and I came into possession of the blackmailer's...assets," he finally concludes. "I think it might be helpful in your son's kidnapping amnesty deal. Your lawyers will know how to use this to your advantage. But you didn't get this evidence officially." He stands up to leave.

Celeste says, "Thank you, Deputy. This is very...generous of you."

"Don't thank me. I was going to destroy it. But Veronica Mars convinced me that Duncan has suffered enough for what was basically a courageous act, and suggested I give the evidence to you," Leo explains.

Celeste asks, "Veronica?", looking at her husband, who is completely flummoxed.

----------

In a sleazy bar in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, Carrie Murphy carelessly wipes down a table with a bar rag while watching the news on the television. The report concludes with a statement that all charges against Veronica Mars have been dropped, due to the evidence that has surfaced regarding Neptune socialite, Harmony Chase. The report shows Veronica leaving the courtroom, with her dad's arm around her. A reporter shoves a microphone in Veronica's face and asks what's next for the detective. Veronica simply says, "We're just trying to move on. I'm trying to catch up on my classes at Hearst College. I'm thankful that my dad and my boyfriend and I are unhurt."

The reporter queries, "Are you planning to sue _Dateline_ and Carolyn Murray?"

Veronica shakes her head no, and with her dad, pushes through the crowd of reporters.

Carrie vows that someday Veronica will know the humiliation that she's feeling right now. She scowls and begins clearing empty glasses from the tables.

----------

Veronica has been asking Logan if she could read one of his stories, and finally, one day when they are hanging out in her old bedroom, he acquiesces. He opens the file on his laptop for her and, using one crutch, goes into the Mars' kitchen to make some coffee while she reads.

When he returns to the bedroom, she looks up in puzzlement. "Are you sure about this, Logan?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," he replies, sitting down next to her.

"But..."

"Can you think of another explanation?"

"No..." Veronica admits. She reads aloud from the story, "_'The deputy received a call from the accused murderer awaiting trial. He offered two millions dollars if the deputy would arrange to take all copies of the videotape evidence from the evidence storage room.'_" Turning to Logan, "I thought Leo was going to sell the tapes to a tabloid."

"But then why would he need to steal ALL the copies? He could have stolen only one copy to sell to the tabloids, and the case wouldn't have been jeopardized; Aaron would probably be rotting in jail right now. No, Leo had to have stolen them for Aaron, to destroy the evidence," Logan concludes.

Veronica turns on the television, and they see a news broadcast, with the banner reading, 'Neptune elects new sheriff, Leo D'Amato'. "So our new sheriff is..."

"Let's just say, the more things change, the more they stay the same, at least in Neptune," Logan finishes for her.

----------

"Agent Fields, thanks for coming in today," the gray-suited bureaucrat says.

Mike Fields takes a seat nervously. He looks at the two forbidding gentlemen seated on the other side of the desk, perusing several file folders. Mike fiddles with his tie and says, "Chief, what's going on?"

"We've been examining your record vis-à-vis the Mars case. It has come to our attention that you unofficially used bureau resources to help Ms. Mars," the chief replies.

Mike responds hesitantly, "Yes, I did. She needed help, and she wasn't getting it from the local authorities. You know that the local sheriff was arrested for racketeering? They added criminal conspiracy charges as well..."

The chief holds up his hand. "Agent Fields, that's all I need to hear. You're admitting using your bureau connections in an unauthorized investigation performed by a civilian." The chief looks at his colleague, who shrugs. "We don't have a choice here. You can accept a two-week suspension without pay and a demotion, or we can terminate your employment immediately."

Mike swallows, and says, "Of course, I'll take the demotion. Sir...what about Ms. Mars? She's been in the internship program for two years now; is she in trouble as well? She's a fine investigator, and I think she'll be quite as asset for the FBI."

The two bureaucrats exchange a glance, and the chief replies, "We're not sure Ms. Mars is cut out for the FBI. We have a particular way of doing things. We like to follow the rules. Perhaps she would be more suited for the CIA; they have a reputation for being cowboys and acting without constraints in foreign countries. Veronica Mars' file is under review at this time. We'll be in contact with her directly, of course."

----------

Katerina Beversdorf, formerly Kendall Casablancas, nee Priscilla Banks, sits on a chaise longue on a private tropical island off the coast of Venezuela. She is reading the International Herald Tribune, which has a short story summarizing the recent murders and arrests in Neptune, California. Reflecting, Katerina twirls a strand of her beautifully highlighted blonde hair; with her long manicured nail she fingers the scar on her scalp. She wonders what Keith did with the painting of the _'Two Lovers'_. Katerina considers whether the time might finally be right for her to return to Neptune to take care of unfinished business, now that Liam is behind bars.

----------

"I got your message that you wanted to see me. I gotta tell you, Vinnie, I really don't even want to look at your ugly mug," Keith says.

Behind bars at the Neptune Sheriff's Department, Vinnie Van Lowe says, "I told Cliff that I needed you to help with my defense."

Keith rolls his eyes. _Cliff loves to play both sides. He would represent Satan himself if the opportunity presented itself._ "Vinnie, why did you target my daughter for Wiedman's murder? What the hell did the Mars family ever do to you?"

"It was Liam's idea. Let's just say that...the Fitzpatricks know where the bodies are buried. They know a few not-so-nice facts about the Vinman," Vinnie explains.

"So Liam told you to go after Veronica?" Keith asks.

"Yes. Liam saw how distracted you got when Veronica was first implicated and he wanted to make sure you weren't looking too closely at our..uh...activities."

"So tell me, Vinnie, why the hell should I help you with your defense?"

"Because I'm the one person that can testify to Veronica's role in helping Duncan Kane flee the country with his daughter," Vinnie says smugly. "Quid pro kid, or whatever it is they say, Keith. You scratch my back, and I don't talk about the Neptune Babynappers."

----------

Gory Sorokin reads about the Neptune murders in the Newark Star-Ledger over his breakfast. He gets angrier and angrier, reading about the bitch and her asshole boyfriend and their narrow escape from a crazed madwoman. He looks at the picture of Logan with his arm around Veronica's shoulder and stabs it, viciously, with his fork. He fumes about Veronica and Logan, until Gory realizes that Veronica has nothing to hold over his head now that his father and uncle are both serving life prison terms for murder. He smiles and thinks how nice the weather is in Southern California this time of year.

----------

Veronica and Keith enter the vault area of the Phoenix Savings and Loan. The bank officer accompanying them prattles on, "When the box rent is thirty days overdue, we try to reach the renter. In this case, the address she gave us was fraudulent, so we contacted the state, who told us that Lianne Mars was deceased. Then we contacted the next-of-kin listed on the agreement. Of course, you know all that." She uses her keys to unlock the large box numbered 5620. Then she uses a master key to unlock the lock that would normally be opened by the box renter's key. "Sign here, please." Keith complies with her request. The bank officer then opens a cubicle at the rear of the vault area and ushers Keith and Veronica in, placing the box on the desk in the small room. The bank officer leaves, shutting the cubicle door behind her.

Keith motions that Veronica should do the honors. She opens the box and sees numerous bundles of cash. She looks at her dad. They are not greatly surprised; when they found out about the safety deposit box, they suspected that it might contain cash and blackmail evidence. But to their shock, they also see an envelope marked 'Veronica'. Veronica opens it and reads aloud.

_Dearest Veronica,_

_If you are reading this, I have died, probably in some gruesome way, and I have caused you misery yet again. Darling, I have taken up a despicable career as a blackmailer. I am not proud of my actions. When I was a patient at Wonderland, I came upon some information about a man who had caused me great pain in the past, Clarence Wiedman. I discovered that he had been conducting an illicit affair with another man who was also a patient at Wonderland. I am ashamed to say that I realized I could blackmail this man and Wiedman to try to earn money to pay back you and your father for the money I took from you._

_I love you, Veronica, with all my heart. If I could make up for what I did to you I would. I am trying with every fiber of my being to stay sober in hopes that someday I will be worthy to come back to you._

_All my love,  
Mom_

Veronica looks at her dad with tears in her eyes. "Why didn't she just come home? That's all I ever wanted from her."

Keith hugs her. Stroking her back, he says, "Lianne was trying the only way she could figure out. She loved you, honey, she loved you to death."

THE END

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A/N: So...I really put Logan through the wringer in this one, huh? In one week, he got beaten up in a bar fight, broke a glass door with his hand and broke his leg in a car accident (not to mention menaced by a psychopath, and of course an alcoholic binge). Veronica got off with just a cut on the forehead. But...did you notice, who was the only one who actually figured out the mystery? It was Logan. Veronica made it all personal, like she always does, and got sidetracked, thinking it was one of her old enemies. 

I really wanted more Wallace. He's the heart of the show in many ways. But even with him working at Mars Investigations it was hard to keep him around. I also wanted more Weevil!!

There were a few things in my story that I am not sure people noticed. At least not many people commented. I guess I was more subtle than I thought, or you all think my little shout-outs are dumb.

All the names I used were writers or crew members who worked on Veronica Mars (just like the real writers did) with a couple notable exceptions.  
•Keith's fictional characters are obviously the characters from Roswell, because without Roswell and Buffy, there would have been no Veronica Mars.  
•Mac's gambling aliases are: Maggie Murphy, who according to 'Neptune Noir', was the UPN exec who originally green lit the pilot; and Gail Simone, a comic book writer who coined the term 'Women in Refrigerators', a literary conceit regarding the plot device of a female character in peril. (See 'Neptune Noir', a collection of essays about Veronica Mars, for more information and lots of fun stuff.)

The sign 'Simi Valley Road, Next Left' that Veronica sees on the PCH is a 'Big Lebowski' reference: it's the sign on the road just before the Dude tries to pay the kidnap ransom.

CREDITS:  
Jimmy C, my mechanic and car crash consultant  
Babushcka, my Spanish cursing consultant  
VMLoVeR87, who previewed my smut and reassured me  
Team Nitpicker (which is still taking applications for membership):  
Kou Shun'u, Candlewaxdreams, kwatchingoverme, poniesforall  
InigoMontoya, the incomparable transcriptionist at twiztv dot com  
MarsInvestigations dot net, for their superb character database and knowledge of all things Veronica  
UrbanDictionary dot com, my dialog coach  
imdb, my movie title source  
MapQuest, my travel agent  
Wick E. P. Dia, my consultant on everything else

**A big thanks to Kazy, who insisted that I had to put more clues in. (This is the EDITED VERSION)  
My solution: the anonymous letters being made up of DVD inserts from the noir movies that Harmony saw with Keith; I also stressed a couple other clues that were already there: the fingerprint from the break-in not being from any of the suspects we had been looking at, and there were no pick marks on the lock at the break-in, indicating the vandal had keys to the office and must be someone who is personally involved with one of the Mars. I liked making the DVD insert clue, because it also goes along with all my chapter titles, which are mostly noir-ish as well.  
So if you were wondering, this is the primary difference between what I originally posted and what is posted now. The mystery was a little more "what the frak" before.**

THANKS TO:  
Mrs. Brunswick, my 10th grade English teacher, who would probably be appalled ("Prolix!!")  
John D. MacDonald, my favorite author in the hard-boiled genre  
Rob Thomas, Diane Ruggiero, Phil Klemmer, et al, who wrote a great TV show but need to stop watching 'The Big Lebowski'  
All the actors, writers and crew who made the show great and who will hopefully not sue me

Thanks for reading!! My goodness, 103,000 words. You all deserve a medal.

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1-23-08

Can I just say how happy it makes me when I get reviews this late in the game? I have recently gotten notices of new reviews from a few readers, and each time they totally made my day. I love to hear from anyone who is reading this; please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought (even if you thought Harmony was a giant 'WTF, Vanessa!!').


	14. Chapter 14

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The sequel is up. Click on my name above to find it and read the first post. Hope you like it, and thanks for reading!!

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